Lavrov calls German drone accusations 'real war'

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Germany's accusations against Moscow over the attempted explosive attack at Leipzig airport the "beginning of a real war." He made the remarks to Russian state television. Lavrov said no one had clarified that the drone found was Russian, and compared German sanctions, including closing Russia's consulate in Bonn and a cultural institute in Berlin, to the start of World War II. Germany's government investigated for four weeks before attributing the incident to Russian intelligence. A drone with an explosive device was found near a Ukrainian transport plane at Leipzig/Halle airport in early August, with two more discovered later, though no explosion occurred. Berlin believes Germany is a target of covert Russian operations due to its support for Ukraine.