Lavrov sees “harbingers of war” in Berlin’s response to Leipzig drone incident

Sergei Lavrov says Germany’s response to a drone incident at Leipzig airport carries “signals of the start of a real war.” The Russian foreign minister accused Berlin and its partners of escalating tensions after an explosives-carrying drone was found at the airport.

“They found some drone. They said it was a Russian drone and nobody bothered to investigate. By and large, this is the start of a real war,” Lavrov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax, as reported by European Pravda.

He also pointed to Germany’s decision to expel Russia’s consul general from Bonn and close the Russian House in Berlin. Lavrov compared those measures with the closure of German diplomatic missions before the Second World War. He said Germany’s plans to expand its armed forces sent the same warning.

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They found some drone. They said it was a Russian drone and nobody bothered to investigate. By and large, this is the start of a real war.

“All those announcements that Merz made about making Germany the number one military power in Europe again, they are being put into practice. He is essentially going to declare war on us,” Lavrov said. He added that the “metastases of Nazism” had begun to emerge and that the Kremlin would draw its conclusions.

Germany directly accused Russia on September 1 of a hybrid attack at Leipzig airport in early August. Berlin announced measures including the closure of the Russian consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, while Germany and several European capitals summoned Russian ambassadors. The U.S. ambassador to NATO said alliance countries would not tolerate similar incidents. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Vladimir Putin was not planning to attack NATO.

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All those announcements that Merz made about making Germany the number one military power in Europe again, they are being put into practice. He is essentially going to declare war on us.