European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that incidents such as last month’s Russian drone sabotage in Germany had become the “new normal”, marking a further escalation of Russian activity on European Union soil.
“Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia, but it is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents,” she said, alongside NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels.
If the attack had succeeded, “this would have resulted in enormous damage, and possibly even loss of life.”
“Europeans are faced with a hard truth, that this is the new normal,” she said, adding that the EU should respond to Russia’s “recklessness, faster and better.”
Von der Leyen said Europe already had “rapid response teams” able to respond to those attacks and was ready to add more sanctions to the existing package against Russia. Foreign ministers met in Ireland to discuss the proposed additional listings.
Von der Leyen added that Europeans must treat everyday infrastructure as frontline targets and protect them accordingly. “We are in a new era of European security,” she said.
Rutte echoed von der Leyen’s remarks, saying Russia had become “increasingly reckless” as it continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the threat now extending to European and NATO territory. “The danger Russia poses is clear,” he said.
He added that if Russia believes that Europe and NATO would be divided or deterred from supporting Ukraine amid this recent threat, they are mistaken. “Our unity is unshaken,” he said.
The duo met in the Belgian capital a day after the German government formally blamed Russia for an explosive-laden drone discovered at an airport in the country’s east in early August. The Kremlin has denied the accusations.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has accused Berlin of choosing a “path of escalation”, Kremlin-affiliated outlets reported on Wednesday. He also turned on European leaders, blaming them of sponsoring what he called Ukrainian “terrorism”.
The German announcement
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced on Tuesday that the “means to carry out the act” of the drone sabotage incident on 4 August is “known to use from other hybrid operations conducted by Russia and its war against Ukraine.”
“The German government therefore concludes that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on 4 August,” he said.
German Foreign Affairs Minister Johann Wadephul said alongside Dobrindt on Tuesday that Russia’s actions form part of a “long series of attempts at destabilisation, disinformation, threats, sabotage and aggression directed at Europe.”
Following the investigation, Germany ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, and has terminated the agreement for the Russian House in Berlin to operate. The Kremlin vowed it would respond to these measures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and that Kyiv stands ready to help, “with expertise, experience, or in other areas where Germany may need.”
“This is yet another Russian escalation, and it is important that Germany responded,” he said.
‘State sponsored terrorism’
Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the drone sabotage incident in Leipzig has “all the hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism” while attributing it to Russia.
“The question is what do we do about this?” she said, on Wednesday on her way into a foreign affairs meeting in Wicklow, Ireland.
“We have already summoned Russian ambassadors, so have also many member states, and we will discuss what more can we do.”
In response to the incident, the EU and Belgium summoned Russia’s ambassador in Brussels. France summoned the Russian chargé d’affaires while Netherlands summoned a Russian diplomatic representative.
Kallas highlighted 1,600 individuals and entities propping up Russia’s military complex have been added to a proposed list of new EU sanctions, “and maybe there are more”, she said.
The measures predominantly target Moscow for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She stressed, however, that nothing would be confirmed on Wednesday as the foreign affairs meeting is informal.
The 21st package of sanctions against Russia adopted late July targeted a range of individuals and entities involved in the country’s military industries, such as producers of long-range drones, like the Garpiya model.
It comes as EU ambassadors in Brussels mull whether to add 27 Russian individuals and entities involved in the forced deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children on the bloc’s sanctions list.