Germany hybrid attackers will pay, Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the people behind hybrid attacks against Germany would “pay for them” as Berlin works to attribute an incident involving explosive-laden drones at Leipzig airport.

Merz said Tuesday that Germany had increasingly “found itself in the crosshairs of hybrid attackers”. He referred to an incident this month at Leipzig airport, a major hub for military transports, where police used a robot to defuse an explosive-laden drone found near a Ukrainian cargo plane.

Police believe a second drone may have collided with a DHL aircraft nearby. Public broadcasters NDR and WDR and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily reported Tuesday that investigators found a third drone near the airport on August 14 and later discovered traces of the explosive military compound hexogen nearby. That report has not been officially confirmed.

Germany has not accused Russia of being behind the Leipzig incident. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has spoken only of suspicion that a “foreign power” may be involved.

Merz, speaking at the start of a two-day cabinet retreat, said perpetrators were increasingly willing to cause or accept the risk of severe property damage, injuries and deaths. He said the government was working with security services “on attributing the Leipzig attack” and hoped to present details shortly.

He said Berlin was pursuing measures to better protect Germany against hybrid attacks, including stronger drone defences and plans to let security services strike back against attackers at home and abroad, such as by hacking computer servers.

Merz also said Germany would continue supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, saying Berlin was doing so “not to prolong the war, but to force peace talks”.