Lavrov calls drone accusations against Moscow 'start of a real war'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on September 6 that Western accusations of Moscow's involvement in the drone incident at Leipzig Airport in Germany were, "to a large extent, the start of a real war," as reported by the state news agency TASS. Germany's Interior Minister had earlier stated that intelligence services concluded the drone, found near a Ukrainian cargo plane, bore characteristics compatible with Russian technology. German authorities believe they have identified the coordinator of the operation, a Russian-origin man with a Latvian passport allegedly linked to Russian intelligence, who entered Germany in late July and left two days before the failed attack. DNA evidence from the drone and a signal antenna led to a second suspect, a Belarusian man with a Russian passport, whose genetic profile matched records in Lithuania and Finland. Moscow denies any involvement, with the Russian embassy in Berlin calling the incident a "hastily staged provocation" and expressing concern over a new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany. Despite progress in the investigation, German authorities remain cautious about whether the suspects can be brought to justice.