MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that the accusations levelled at Moscow by the West that it was involved in the drone incident at Germany's Leipzig airport were, "by and large, the start of a real war," state news agency TASS reported.
"All these statements by Merz about making Germany the leading military power in Europe once again – they are being put into practice. He is, in effect, declaring war on us," Lavrov said, referring to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The German government said on September 1 that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month and ordered a series of measures in response, including the closure of a consulate and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin.
Russia dismissed the German accusations as baseless, accusing Berlin of planting evidence to frame Russia for the attack.
