Germany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone attack as Kyiv endures sixth night of deadly strikes — Zelenskyy warns Russian skies 'no longer safe'

2 September 2026 | Berlin, Kyiv, Moscow — Updated 23:45 GMT

The German government has blamed Russia for the drone attack on Leipzig airport last month, calling it "dangerous behaviour" and part of a systematic and concerted effort by Moscow to "cause great damage" through a large number of hybrid attacks.

The interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, and the foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, ended weeks of speculation and the government's hesitancy to blame Russia, saying in a brisk 10-minute briefing in Berlin that all indications were the Russian state had provided the knowhow and equipment for the planned attack and "low-level agents" were recruited to carry it out.

At least 12 people have been killed in and around Kyiv overnight as Ukraine's capital endured a sixth consecutive night of Russian drone and missile attacks aimed at shattering infrastructure and lowering the morale of the city.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned airlines and passengers against using Russian airspace because it will be filled with Ukrainian drones for the duration of the war. "Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe," said Ukraine's president.

Welcome to the latest world headlines — where hybrid warfare, escalating air strikes, and the battle for air superiority collide across Europe.

Germany Formally Accuses Russia of Leipzig Airport Drone Attack, Announces Penalty Measures

The German government has blamed Russia for the drone attack on Leipzig airport last month, calling it "dangerous behaviour" and part of a systematic and concerted effort by Moscow to "cause great damage" through a large number of hybrid attacks.

The interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, and the foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, ended weeks of speculation and the government's hesitancy to blame Russia, saying in a brisk 10-minute briefing in Berlin that all indications were the Russian state had provided the knowhow and equipment for the planned attack and "low-level agents" were recruited to carry it out.

A drone loaded with explosives was discovered at Leipzig/Halle airport on 4 August near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane used to transport weapons to Ukraine. It failed to detonate but could have caused a catastrophe, authorities said.

Russia will face a package of penalty measures, Wadephul said, adding that the German government saw "a need for appropriate and necessary action in this situation". It would respond "to this hybrid attack in Leipzig with proportionate and measured, yet equally resolute, action", he said. "We are not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid warfare."

He added: "The dangerous behaviour of the Russian Federation is part of attempts at destabilisation, disinformation, threats, sabotage and aggression." Berlin regretted the abysmal state of its relations with Moscow, he said.

The EU expressed "full solidarity" with Germany over the attack, and Nato assured Berlin that it would defend its members.

The Russian ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry at that very moment to be informed of the consequences, Wadephul said. The Russian consulate in Bonn will be closed later this month, and Russian House, a sprawling cultural and science institute in the centre of Berlin, which is alleged to house Russian spies and to have been the launchpad for a number of hybrid attacks carried out in Germany over the past few years, is to be turned out of its rented building.

A clampdown on Russia's shadow fleet – illegal ships carrying Russian oil and other supplies in the Baltic and North seas – is also planned. New lists of people on a blacklist would be drawn up and tighter border controls of Russians entering Germany would be carried out, Wadephul said.

Parallel to these moves, Berlin is also backing the European Commission's 22nd package of sanctions, to cover a further 1,600 companies and organisations with a Russian connection.

European Leaders Rally Behind Germany: 'Hybrid Actions Against Any One of Us Will Be Met with a United Response'

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, supported Germany's move and the new round of European sanctions, saying: "These hybrid attacks are multiplying in Europe. They cannot go unanswered. In the face of this escalation, we must be united, determined, and strengthen our support for Ukraine. France will continue to play its full part."

Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister, said: "The security of our allies is the security of us all. Attempts to intimidate us or to drive a wedge between allies will not succeed: hybrid actions against any one of us are a matter of concern for all of us, and will be met with a united response."

The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, said: "Attacking a Ukrainian cargo plane on German soil was an egregious attempt by Russia to weaken our resolve and our collective defence – and it will fail. Our support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's aggression is unshakeable."

The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, promised "full solidarity" with Berlin. Rutte said Berlin had put forward clear evidence of Moscow's role in the "hybrid attack" and welcomed the measures announced in response, while von der Leyen vowed to "keep the EU united despite these escalating and serious acts".

Kyiv Endures Sixth Consecutive Night of Attacks as Russia Targets Railway Infrastructure

At least 12 people have been killed in and around Kyiv overnight as Ukraine's capital endured a sixth consecutive night of Russian drone and missile attacks aimed at shattering infrastructure and lowering the morale of the city.

Eight of the dead were reported killed in Kyiv, including seven at a railway depot on the city's left bank, and four were killed in Boryspil, to the east of the city, in a wave of strikes at about 2.30am after hours of air alerts.

A further four people were killed in other parts of Ukraine, regional officials said, in 28 waves of attacks that included a strike on a border crossing point with Romania on the Danube at Orlivka.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, said "a significant number of jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles were used in the attack" and that Russia was taking advantage of a shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors.

In a morning post on social media, Zelenskyy said: "Russia always plans its strikes specifically to cause as much destruction to people's lives as possible, and it succeeds only when air defence capabilities are insufficient."

Kyiv and the surrounding towns and villages have come under sustained attack in the past few days. Thirty-eight people were killed after a Russian drone struck an ammunition store in Myla, 15 miles west of Kyiv, on Thursday, the hit causing hours of secondary explosions and damaging nearby homes.

Ukraine's air force said Russia had attacked 28 locations, focusing on the cities of Kyiv and Odesa and their surroundings. Air defences shot down five Iskander ballistic missiles, two Banderol and five Kalibr cruise missiles and 187 out of 218 drones. Officials no longer reveal the total numbers of missiles fired.

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the chief executive of Ukrainian Railways, said six of the seven people killed in and around the depot were employees of the network. Another rail worker was hospitalised, he added.

Ukraine's Patriot Interceptor Shortage Deepens as Russia Intensifies Ballistic Missile Attacks

Kyiv has been chronically short of air defence systems since the supply of Patriot interceptors dried up. The Patriots are the only weapon that can effectively stop high-speed Russian ballistic missiles, made at the rate of about 60 a month.

Lockheed Martin, the US company that makes the most capable Pac-3 interceptors, produces about 600 a year, but US military supplies have been depleted during the US war with Iran. Ukraine is trying to secure a stockpile of about 300 for the winter, paid for by European allies, in a supply deal agreed with the US.

Moscow appears to be trying to take advantage of an absence of air defence capability before winter, in an escalation of a conflict nearly deadlocked on the frontline. Ukraine has been responding by attacking oil refineries, warehouses and other military facilities deep inside Russia, aiming to hurt the country's economy.

Zelenskyy Warns Russian Skies 'No Longer Safe' as Ukraine Expands Drone Operations

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned airlines and passengers against using Russian airspace because it will be filled with Ukrainian drones for the duration of the war. "Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia's key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe," said Ukraine's president.

"Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such – not a single civilian aircraft. There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account."

Vladimir Putin responded by calling Zelenskyy's comments "a declaration of state terrorism".

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence said it had attacked an oil refinery at the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, about 550 miles (885km) from its border. Key components of the oil refining facility and process equipment were damaged, said the GUR, and a major fire broke out.

Russian officials said a civilian was killed in the border Belgorod region in an attack. Russia attacked Ukraine's Black Sea export infrastructure and a border crossing with Romania in the southern region of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Russian Wartime Economy in 'Berserk Mode' as Ukraine Continues Deep Strikes

The Russian wartime economy risks going "berserk", Vladimir Putin's international development envoy was quoted as saying on Tuesday. Boris Titov told business outlet RBC: "This is not an economy at all, it's a kind of 'berserk mode' that can only exist for a very limited time, and the necessity of which should be considered very carefully."

Titov's comments echo a statement by Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, who argued that "killing a normal economy is equivalent to killing the whole country". Andrei Klepach, the chief economist at the state development bank, lost his job last month after a public speech highlighting the economic challenges posed by the war.

Ukraine damaged oil-processing units at Russia's Novatek Ust-Luga complex in the Leningrad region during an attack on Tuesday, Kyiv's military intelligence said. Key components of the oil refining facility and process equipment were damaged, said the GUR, and a major fire broke out.

Russia captured 35 square miles (56 sq km) of Ukraine's territory during August, analysis by the AFP news agency concluded. It was Moscow's largest advance since February but still much lower than the 150 square mile a month average of 2025.

India's Modi Urges Putin to End War as Diplomacy Remains Stalled

There remains little serious diplomatic effort to end the war, although on Monday India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, urged Vladimir Putin to end the war in public remarks at a bilateral meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

"Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, while every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace. We need to move from endless war to an end to the war," Modi said.

Putin appeared impatient, tapping his feet as he listened. "Thank you very much, prime minister. We are moving forward along this path," he replied.

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