EU and NATO vow to increase pressure on Russia after drone attack on German airport

Germany officially blamed Russia for a drone attack targeting Leipzig/Halle Airport on September 1, marking the first time a NATO member state has directly attributed a kinetic strike on its soil to Moscow. The response from Brussels and the Atlantic alliance was swift, coordinated, and pointed: more sanctions, more deterrence, and a clear message that hybrid warfare against NATO territory will no longer be absorbed quietly. Up to three explosives-laden drones were discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane designated for military supplies. Germany’s response: consulates closed, threat level raised Berlin didn’t wait for diplomatic pleasantries. Germany raised its national threat level to “high,” imposed strict entry controls on Russian nationals, ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, and shuttered a Russian cultural center in Berlin. The Russian ambassador was summoned. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt acknowledged that hybrid attacks from Russia are essentially a daily occurrence, though he stopped short of framing the situation as outright war. NATO officials have been careful to discount the immediate risk of conventional warfare, even as they ratchet up rhetor...