Lavrov calls German drone accusations 'start of real war'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday labelled Germany's accusations linking Moscow to the drone attack on Leipzig-Halle airport as equivalent to a declaration of war. Speaking at a press conference, Lavrov said the accusations amounted to the start of a real war between Russia and Germany.

The drone incident occurred in August 2026, when an unmanned aircraft carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport. German authorities subsequently attributed the attack to Russian military intelligence. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the evidence clear, indisputable and legally solid, adding that the bomb had missed its target by only a small coincidence.

In response, Germany closed Russia's consulate in Bonn and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the creation of Cyberdome, a new national sensor network designed to detect and neutralise drone threats across German territory.

Russia denied any involvement and denounced the German measures as hostile provocations, setting off the sharpest diplomatic exchange between the two countries since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022.