EU and Nato vow to step up pressure on Russia after 'new escalation' in Germany
Yahoo World · 2026-09-02
NATO and the EU are vowing to increase pressure on Russia following a "new escalation" in Germany, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen directly attributing a failed drone attack on Leipzig airport to Russia. Germany officially blamed Russia for the August 4 incident, where a drone targeting a Ukrainian cargo plane was defused, and two other drones were found. In response, Germany will close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural institution, though Russia denies involvement and has summoned Germany's chargé d'affaires. This Leipzig incident is part of a broader pattern of "malign activities" and hybrid operations, including recent suspected sabotage acts like attacks on electricity substations in Germany and a factory fire in Poland, leading to calls for extended EU sanctions, entry restrictions on Russian visitors, and discussions on using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine.