Threatening message from Moscow reverberates: “This is the beginning of a real war”

Sergei Lavrov has described Germany’s accusation that Moscow stood behind a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport as “the beginning of a real war.” His warning came after Berlin formally blamed Russia for an attempted attack at the airport in early August.

Explosive-laden drones were found, and one damaged a cargo aircraft. With support from U.S. intelligence assessments, the German government says material traces point to Russian services. It is the first time Germany has publicly attributed such an attack on its territory to Moscow, the article says.

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This is, generally speaking, essentially the beginning of a real war.

Germany responded by closing Russia’s general consulate in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin. Lavrov compared those steps with the closure of diplomatic missions before the Second World War. He also said Chancellor Friedrich Merz was “essentially declaring war” on Russia through plans to make Germany Europe’s leading military power again.

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Leipzig, the airport... They found some kind of drone there. They said it was a Russian drone, and no one bothered to investigate.

“Leipzig, the airport... They found some kind of drone there. They said it was a Russian drone, and no one bothered to investigate,” Lavrov said in an interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin. “This is, generally speaking, essentially the beginning of a real war,” he added.

Lavrov also accused Germany of repeating historical patterns by closing Russian diplomatic facilities. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt rejected the claim that Germany was at war, saying instead that the country was the target of hybrid warfare. Moscow calls the accusations baseless and says the evidence was planted. The article also points to the contrast between Moscow’s language about the incident and its insistence on calling its four-year attack on Ukraine a “special military operation.”

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essentially declaring war