Merz on incident involving Ukrainian aircraft in Leipzig: Those responsible will pay for it
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken publicly for the first time about the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
He made these remarks ahead of Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, according to Censor.NET, which cites Die Welt.
Details
Mr Merz noted that the police are continuing to investigate who was involved. However, he did not comment on who might have been responsible for the attack in Leipzig.
"We will present our findings shortly," said the Chancellor.
He also noted that Germany is increasingly becoming the target of hybrid attacks.
Merz reaffirmed his commitment to fundamental political principles: Germany must remain a safe country, strengthen its defence capabilities and deter potential aggressors.
He emphasised that those responsible for hybrid attacks must be held to account.
"They will pay for this," said Merz, but did not specify any particular countermeasures.
Support for Ukraine
At the same time, Merz reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine. The German Government will support Kyiv "in the long term", he emphasised.
The Chancellor reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine. The German Government will support Kyiv "in the long term".
What led up to it
- It was previously reported that a drone was discovered near a Ukrainian aircraft at the airport on the night of Tuesday 4 August. It was equipped with explosives and a detonator. According to Die Zeit, the aircraft in question is an Antonov, which is believed to belong to the Ukrainian Air Force.
- NATO has confirmed that it is aware of this incident. The German police deployed a bomb-disposal robot to retrieve the drone.
- Subsequently, German media reported that
there was ammunition on board the Ukrainian cargo aircraft, next to which a drone containing explosives had been found at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
- US intelligence believes that the drone carrying explosives, which was discovered at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany, probably belongs to the Russian Federation.
