EU Chief Calls Leipzig Drone Incident a New Level of Russian Escalation

Ursula von der Leyen described last month’s drone incident in Leipzig as evidence that Europe is entering “a new normal” of Russian escalation. Speaking at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the European Commission president said the incident involved military-grade equipment and Russian actors on European Union territory.

Germany had announced the day before that Russia was involved in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August. Von der Leyen said the incident could have caused loss of life if it had succeeded.

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This was an attack using military-grade equipment carried out by Russian actors on the soil of the European Union.

“This was an attack using military-grade equipment carried out by Russian actors on the soil of the European Union,” von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels. She said Europe and NATO would not merely maintain pressure on Russia, but would increase it.

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Europe and NATO will not merely maintain our pressure on Russia. We will increase it, and we will not stop.

Von der Leyen linked the Leipzig incident to what she called “a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents.” “Europeans face the harsh truth that this is the new normal,” she said.

Rutte said Russia was behaving with increasing recklessness. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Russia was behind the Leipzig incident and accused Germany of planting evidence to shift the blame onto Moscow.

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Europeans face the harsh truth that this is the new normal.