Germany expels more than 150 Russian diplomats after drone incident

Germany has expelled more than 150 Russian diplomatic personnel and their family members, the Russian Embassy in Germany said, linking the move to an incident involving the discovery of a damaged drone of unknown origin.

“A broken drone of unclear origin that caused no harm — is this a ‘reasonable’ reason to deprive hundreds of thousands of German citizens and Russian citizens residing in Germany of access to consular services?” the embassy said in a statement cited by Caliber.Az.

The diplomatic mission also claimed that, because of the incident, Germany had destroyed the remaining opportunities for bilateral cultural cooperation.

The move follows an August 4, 2026 incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, where an explosive-laden drone with a faulty detonator was discovered near Ukrainian cargo planes. Security footage showed that the drone had struck one aircraft’s wing, while investigators later linked a second drone collision and a third nearby device to the same incident.

German authorities, citing forensic analysis of the equipment, operational patterns, and intelligence findings, publicly attributed the failed hybrid attack to agents acting on behalf of Russian state entities. In response, Berlin ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the termination of the Russian House cultural centre agreement in Berlin.

By Jeyhun Aghazada