Once again, everything passed without serious consequences. If not, the consequences would be difficult to foresee: a drone equipped with explosives and an activation mechanism was found on the evening of August 4, 2026 in the security zone of the Leipzig airport, between Ukrainian cargo planes - and was then deactivated. That airport is a hub for military aid to Ukraine, Deutsche Welle reports.
Germany the government has long been reluctant to make public accusations Russia for that incident. Now she did it anyway. Means known from other Russian hybrid operations were used - from the drone's configuration and various components, to explosives and activation technology, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrint said on Tuesday, September 1. The preparation of the attack, he added, was characterized by "a high level of technical expertise and significant organizational effort."
Chancellor Friedrich Mertz said back in late August, commenting on the incident: "The federal government will make the perpetrators of hybrid attacks pay the price. They will pay for it." He did not mention Russia then. Even now, Mertz has not made a statement about it.
The price that Russia will pay is relatively small: the Russian House in Berlin will be closed - for that cultural institution there is a suspicion that it serves as a cover for espionage activities. The Russian Consulate General in Bonn will also be closed. The entry of Russian citizens into Germany will be further tightened. Germany will also act more decisively against the Russian "shadow fleet". It remains unclear what exactly this will look like and when the measures will be implemented.
In response, Moscow has since announced that it will close the Goethe Institute in Russia.
Photo: Ekaterina Shtukina, Sputnik Pool Photo via APDmitry Medvedev
Medvedev demands an attack on German weapons factories
This is not enough for the opposition Greens in the Bundestag. "The federal government's analysis came a bit late, and the measures are too small for me," Sarah Nani, the Green Party's spokeswoman for security policy, told DW. "I don't believe anyone in Moscow is afraid or thinking about it now." Germany, for example, would already have to act more decisively against the Russian "shadow fleet". In this way, the flow of money to the Russian war machine should be "stopped."
Roderich Kiesewetter, security expert of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is also dissatisfied. In the "Handelsblatt" newspaper, he requested the delivery of "Taurus" cruise missiles to Ukraine, as well as the activation of Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which provides for consultations among allies in case of external threats. He asked the German government to "leave the politically comfortable path of appeasement."
A harsh response, such as Kiesewetter is seeking, could increase the risk of a military confrontation with Russia - a country that categorically denies responsibility for the Leipzig incident. President Vladimir Putin called Germany's punitive measures against Russia a "grave mistake" and accused Berlin of falsifying evidence. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced countermeasures - without further details.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council, went even further. Known for his harsh rhetoric, Medvedev threatened Germany on Telegram: "You deserve a direct strike on all German production plants of military equipment" that work for Ukraine, as well as "certainly on some other places in Berlin."
Photo: Pexels / Geni HokaGerman police
Foreign Minister Wadeful sees Germany as a war target
Again, and now even more intensely, the question arises whether Germany is already at war with Russia. The German government clearly denies this: "We are not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid warfare," Interior Minister Dobrint said on Tuesday, after blaming Russia for the failed attack. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johan Wadeful, stated on the public service ARD that Germany is not at war, but is a Russian "war target".
A year ago, in September 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, also without mentioning Russia, said: "We are not at war, but we are not at peace either." The reason was the increasingly frequent attacks on computer networks, critical infrastructure and other hybrid threats.
German security expert Zenke Mararens from the University of Kiel sees things differently: "No, Germany is not at war right now. We are facing hybrid activities from other countries, but we are not at war," he told DW. In Western countries, the issue of war is largely viewed through a legal framework. In Germany, according to the Constitution, the Bundestag must determine that the country is at war, and this is possible only after a physical attack. "Right now, nothing meets that definition," Mararens says.
Sarah Nani, spokesperson for the Greens for security policy in the Bundestag, fears, however, that Russia will continue to escalate. "We are not yet at war with Russia, but Russia seems to be preparing a war not only against Ukraine, but against all of Europe," she said in an interview with DW. She called the incident in Leipzig "an attempted terrorist act."
Numerous possibilities below the threshold of physical attack
Strictly speaking, Germany is not at war with Russia in any case. There is no declaration of war, no recognized armed conflict. Article 5 of NATO on collective defense has also not been activated, and even consultations of NATO members based on Article 4, which precede the activation of the collective defense mechanism, have not been initiated.
The situation looks different when it comes to an imprecisely defined hybrid war. Many security experts believe that Russia is already waging such a war against Western countries. This includes attacks on infrastructure, cyber-attacks, disinformation or classic espionage. The Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, close to Germany's ruling CDU, after the incident in Leipzig, explicitly speaks about Russian hybrid warfare against Germany.
However, the lines between hybrid attacks and an open act of war are fluid.
Expert Mararens believes that Russia in Germany - the second most important country when it comes to supporting Ukraine, after the USA - is pursuing its strategic interests in a very targeted manner with actions like the one in Leipzig. If the attack on the airport had succeeded, it would have relieved the Russian front, Mararens points out. In addition, "if Russia succeeds in convincing the German population not to support political decisions to help Ukraine, it also directly reduces the pressure on the front."
Photo: Anton Vaganov/Pool Photo via APPresident of Russia Vladimir Putin
The AfD factor and the elections in Saxony-Anhalt
Right now, that last aspect is particularly important: on Sunday, September 6, the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt take place. They are considered the most important elections in Germany in the last few decades. The question is whether the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, a party whose provincial branch has been labeled as "confirmed far-right" by the Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order, will win an absolute majority and thus take power in a German province for the first time.
The AfD opposes further military support for Ukraine and would like to normalize relations with Russia. This adds to the widespread sentiment in East Germany that the war in Ukraine is not a German problem and that too much money has already flowed into Ukraine.
Sarah Nani from the Greens also sees a targeted Russian campaign of intimidation and calls it "psychological warfare".
The federal government, which consists of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), will therefore think carefully before escalating rhetorically, as it could perhaps help the AfD win an absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt. On the other hand, it can hardly allow itself to declare Russia responsible for the incident in Leipzig, and then respond only with relatively mild measures.
This dilemma could be the reason why German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz has not directly accused Russia so far.
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