Ex-German ambassador: Drone at Leipzig Airport may be Russian act of war

The suspected assassination attempt with a missile in Leipzig has put authorities on alert. Friedrich Merz has now also convened the National Security Council. "Something terrible could have happened," says the chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger.

The discovery of the drone at Leipzig Airport must be clarified quickly, demands former ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger. If Russia is responsible, Germany must clearly name this, especially before the state elections.

The chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, is calling for a swift investigation following the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Airport. "This is the crucial task for the federal government, to bring clarity here," Ischinger said in an interview with WELT TV.

If it is determined that Russia is behind the drone discovered at the airport, it is important, particularly before the state elections in the autumn, to show voters: "Russia is behaving in such a way that we can and must assume that Russia is committing acts of war against us." State elections are taking place in September in Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Saxony-Anhalt.

Some still believe that Russia is being wrongly pilloried. But "even with this small drone, a terrible accident could have happened," Ischinger emphasized. "It is serious, I just want to say that."

The drone with an explosive charge was discovered by an airport employee in Leipzig on the night of Wednesday. Federal police experts defused the explosive charge, which apparently only failed to detonate because the detonator was defective. According to reports, four Ukrainian aircraft were nearby.

"Imagine if a plane had then crashed"

The incident requires not only a national but also a joint international response, Ischinger demanded. Both the European Union and NATO should deal with the case. "Some individual members of parliament have already raised the question of whether the federal government should request consultations within NATO. I don't think that's wrong." However, this can only begin once a perpetrator has been identified.

Ischinger, on the other hand, does not consider the idea of restricting the issuance of visas for Russian citizens to be productive. He advocates strengthening the feeling among the Russian population that "we have a problem with the authoritarian government of President Putin and his ministers, but we are not in a fundamental conflict with the Russian population." He would rather expand sanctions against Russian officials, but not against "the ordinary citizen."

"Misguided Prioritization in Washington"

Ischinger finds it understandable that Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia's invasion for the fifth year, now wants to specifically attack the Russian arms industry. The background is also the current situation in Ukraine. It has too few options to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles. Behind this lies a strategic dilemma: The USA itself can no longer supply weapons to Ukraine.

This would not have happened "if the American government had not come up with the idea of starting this Iran war without any real need." According to Ischinger, this is the result of a "misguided prioritization in Washington. Unfortunately, Ukraine now has to pay the price for this, because the replacement options that exist are not all available on the table."

The weapons must first be manufactured. "That will take longer, and I really feel sorry for Ukraine in this situation."