Lavrov accuses Germany of declaring war on Russia over consulate closures

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Germany of starting a real war against Russia on Sunday, citing Berlin's reaction to a drone incident at Leipzig airport and the closure of Russian diplomatic facilities. Lavrov said Germany found a drone at Leipzig airport, claimed it was Russian without further investigation, and called this "essentially the beginning of a real war." He denounced Germany's decision to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, announcing retaliatory closures of all Goethe Institute branches in Russia. He compared the closures to diplomatic legations shut before World War II and accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of seeking to make Germany Europe's leading military power, saying "in essence, he comes to declare war on us." The Kremlin backed this stance, rejecting German accusations as baseless. The dispute stems from an August 4 incident where an explosive-laden drone was found at Leipzig airport, with Germany blaming Russia for a "hybrid attack" on Monday. This escalation occurs as US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff pursue Ukraine peace negotiations, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.