Macron says Russian hybrid attacks in Europe "cannot go unanswered"

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, September 1, said alleged Russian hybrid attacks in Europe must not go unanswered, following Germany’s attribution of an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport to Russian intelligence services.

“Germany has established Russia's responsibility for the serious incidents that occurred in Leipzig in early August. These hybrid attacks are multiplying in Europe. They cannot go unanswered,” Macron wrote on X, the U.S. social media platform.

Macron expressed France’s full solidarity with Germany and backed the adoption of new European sanctions against Russia.

“In the face of this escalation, we must be united, determined, and strengthen our support for Ukraine. France will continue to play its full part,” Macron noted.

Germany on Tuesday accused Russia of orchestrating an attempted drone attack at Leipzig Airport last month and announced a series of measures and sanctions against Moscow.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at a news conference in Berlin that investigators had determined the plot was planned by Russian intelligence services and carried out by low-level operatives.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking at the same briefing, said he had summoned Russia’s ambassador to formally protest the incident and inform Moscow of Germany’s response.

“The Russian Consulate General in Bonn will close on Sept. 18. The agreement regarding the Russian House in Berlin is being terminated,” Wadephul said.

The Russian House in Berlin, a Soviet-era cultural centre in the German capital, has long been regarded by Western officials as a possible cover for intelligence activities.

Leipzig Airport is a major freight hub and an important logistics point for military cargo, including Ukrainian Antonov flights. German officials have described the foiled drone operation as an attempt to disrupt that support network without resorting to a conventional military attack.

German authorities told the media last week that the attempted attack on a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane in August was more serious than initially reported. The drone had been equipped with explosives, while investigators subsequently concluded that several drones, rather than a single aircraft, had been involved.

Russia has previously rejected accusations of assassinations, sabotage, drone incursions and espionage in countries supporting Ukraine, accusing Western governments of fueling “anti-Russian paranoia.”

By Tamilla Hasanova