Following the failed drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport, investigations appear to have found direct involvement of the Russian military secret service GRU. A suspected GRU employee is said to have played the role of logistical organizer of the operation. According to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, which refers to secret investigation documents, the file names a person suspected of being connected to the GRU as responsible for the logistics of the operation.
It is a Russian citizen, the newspaper reported, citing security sources. According to these sources, he organized the preparations for the attack. The person in question is said to have entered Germany via Turkey and then left for Serbia from Berlin Brandenburg Airport. According to the investigative report, the German authorities were aware of his suspected links to the Russian secret service from the moment he entered the country. However, he was not placed under surveillance by the authorities. In the meantime, the man is said to have returned to Russia. On the other hand, the government in Moscow has categorically denied all the accusations and any possible involvement in this case.
Interior Minister Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Wadephul speaking at a press conferenceInterior Minister Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Wadephul speaking at a press conference
On the evening of August 4, a drone loaded with explosives was discovered and deactivated near a Ukrainian Antonov transport plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport. According to the German federal government, the clues that led to the suspects include the configuration of the drone, the type of explosives used and the ignition technology. These elements, according to the authorities, are also known from other hybrid operations attributed to Russia.
In early September, the German government officially held Russia responsible for the incident. In response, it decided, among other things, to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn. Moscow responded by closing the German consulate as well as several branches of the Goethe Institute in Russia. /DW
