A senior foreign policy expert from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative Christian Democrats considers the government’s announced measures against Russia insufficient following an attempted attack involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport.
“The Russian House and the consulate general should have been closed long ago for security reasons anyway,” lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter told the RND media group in remarks published on Thursday.
The German government has blamed Russia for the attempted attack and on Tuesday announced a package of retaliatory measures, including the closure of the Russian House cultural institute in Berlin and the Russian consulate general in Bonn, as well as the expulsion of a number of diplomats.
The government also plans tighter entry controls for Russian nationals and stronger action against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
Kiesewetter said it was not enough to take only “symbolic and diplomatic measures” and called for consultations under Article 4 of the NATO treaty.
“The systematic nature of the attacks is also directed against NATO and is intended to divide and weaken the defence alliance,” he said.
Article 4 provides for consultations among NATO allies when a member state believes its security is threatened from outside. The German government, however, does not intend to invoke it.
Kiesewetter said Russia viewed purely diplomatic and symbolic measures as a sign of weakness and was therefore likely to step up its actions.
“I therefore expect further Russian terror and acts of warfare such as sabotage, targeted killings and terrorist attacks, including in Germany,” he said.
A drone fitted with explosives and a detonating mechanism was discovered on the evening of August 4 in the secure area of Leipzig/Halle Airport between Ukrainian cargo aircraft.
Germany’s federal prosecutors opened an investigation and described the incident as a “serious attack on transport and logistics infrastructure in Germany.”