The German Foreign Minister Johann Wadefuhl called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement about the “start of a real war” between Russia and Germany a sign of Moscow’s desperation. According to the German diplomat, his Russian counterpart’s words amount to the spread of lies, and Lavrov, in Wadefuhl’s view, is fully aware of Russia’s guilt and knows how Berlin will react. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Bild publication.
Context: the drone over Leipzig and the official accusation
The verbal escalation flared up against the backdrop of an incident at Leipzig/Halle airport. On the night of August 5, a suspicious object was found near the Ukrainian cargo aircraft An-124 “Ruslan,” which temporarily halted the airport’s operations; it later turned out to be a drone that had struck the most vulnerable section of the aircraft’s wing. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the event a “new level of danger” for the country and one of the manifestations of a hybrid threat. On September 1, Berlin officially accused Russia of carrying out this attack, and a few days later Lavrov publicly declared the “start of a real war” with the Federal Republic of Germany.
Timing and an attempt to influence society
Wadefuhl noted that Lavrov’s statement came on the day of the elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and suggested that it may have been an attempt to create additional uncertainty in German society. The German diplomat emphasized that the Russian authorities are using the tools available to them to influence society, but Germany will not be intimidated. That is why he characterized the verbal escalation from Moscow as “a certain manifestation of Russian desperation.”
Contradictory data
Open sources contain discrepancies in the details of the incident. German media floated the version that the Ukrainian aircraft may have been carrying ammunition, and also reported that the drone collided in the air with another drone. However, the airline “Antonov” refuted this information. Thus, the version of a collision between two drones and of the nature of the cargo on board the An-124 is unconfirmed and contradicts the position of the aircraft’s operator.
Broader context: the fifth year of the war
Against this backdrop, Wadefuhl recalled that Russia “has not achieved as much success in this war (against Ukraine — ed.) as it had hoped,” since “the war was supposed to end in a few days — and now it has already been going on for five years.” This statement fits into the broader rhetoric of Berlin, which links hybrid incidents on its territory with Moscow’s attempts to destabilize public opinion ahead of domestic political events in individual states.
