We are discussing the Leipzig attacks, and also it is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism. The question is, what do we do about this? - Kaja Kallas - EU foreign policy chief
WICKLOW: The EU on Wednesday said that it had summoned Russia's top diplomat as it eyed sanctions after a drone incident in Germany that the bloc's foreign policy chief said bore the marks of "state-sponsored terrorism". The incident involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport has heightened fears over a sabotage campaign that the EU and Nato says is a Russian attempt to destabilise Ukraine's backers. "We are discussing the Leipzig attacks, and also it is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Ireland. "The question is, what do we do about this?" Kallas said that the EU had summoned the Russian envoy, and member states were doing the same.
"We will not let an act of such gravity go unpunished," French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, adding he had summoned Russia's envoy in Paris. Kallas said that EU foreign ministers would discuss ongoing work to impose sanctions on 1,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia's military industry. "Seeing these hybrid attacks across Europe, I think these are also wake-up calls for the countries who have not been so strong, maybe on this," she said. "If we want to end this war, we all have to focus our efforts. Take it to a new level."
Lithuania's foreign minister Kestutis Budrys called for Europe to do more to counter the threat from Moscow. "We have to consider what options we have in our hands and respond, because it is obvious Russia does not see the political cost of the hybrid activities against us," he said. "They will neither prevent us from supporting Ukraine nor maintaining our pressure on Russia. On the contrary, we have to increase this pressure."
Germany blamed Moscow for the Leipzig incident and said it was shutting a Russian consulate and ending the contract for a cultural centre in Berlin. Russia's President Vladimir Putin in televised comments later branded the sanctions move "another mistake, a serious one", saying it "clearly runs counter to the interests of the German people".
Russia said later on Wednesday it was summoning Germany's charge d'affaires to protest what it called "anti-Russian actions", after Berlin announced sanctions on Moscow over an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport. Russia has described Germany's allegations as unsubstantiated and "absurd". "On September 2, Germany's charge d'affaires in Moscow... was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry amid yesterday's anti-Russian actions and statements by the German authorities," said Russia's foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, German authorities were on Wednesday investigating two attacks on electricity substations in different parts of the country, the latest suspected sabotage targeting critical infrastructure. Police launched a terrorism probe over the first incident, which saw improvised explosives fired early on Tuesday at a site in eastern Brandenburg state, damaging power cables. In the second sabotage attack, unknown perpetrators allegedly deliberately caused a short-circuit by targeting overhead power lines at a substation in Bergheim in North Rhine-Westphalia state.
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul said officials were probing whether the attack was directed by a "foreign state" or left-wing extremism. Neither attack caused widespread power outages, although operations at nearby coal-fired power stations were affected.
Germany has faced repeated attacks on electricity infrastructure, with far-left militants claiming responsibility in some cases. Berlin, a key supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia, is also on alert for Moscow-backed sabotage plots. "More sabotage, more hybrid attacks -- interference like this is not happening far away, it's happening right on our doorstep," Reul told a press conference. "And anyone who acts this way is not just trying to hit cables; they're trying to hit our country." The attacks came the same day that Germany formally blamed Russia for an attempted "hybrid attack" involving an explosive-laden drone at a strategic airport in Leipzig last month and announced diplomatic counter-measures. — AFP
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