Russia and Germany are locked in their most serious diplomatic dispute since the start of the war in Ukraine, after Berlin accused Moscow of carrying out a drone attack on a key logistics airport in August.
In early August, two drones carrying explosives were found near Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, a hub used by NATO to move military supplies to Ukraine. One drone appears to have targeted Ukrainian military transport aircraft on the ground.
A DHL cargo plane was also struck by an unidentified object as it came in to land, damaging its tail and forcing the aircraft to abort the landing.
After weeks of investigation, the German government said on 1 September that it had concluded the attack was carried out by Russia, citing intelligence findings and police investigations.
Germany responded by closing two Russian diplomatic missions in the country. Moscow retaliated within days.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered Germany’s consulate in St Petersburg to close by 18 September and ordered Goethe-Institut cultural centres, which promote German language and culture abroad, to close by 13 September, with staff required to leave the country.
Moscow said Germany had “provoked” the escalation and bore full responsibility for the consequences. It has dismissed the drone allegation as invented.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went further, accusing Germany of moving towards direct confrontation with Russia and suggesting the situation marked the start of “a real war”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected any suggestion that Berlin would soften its stance, saying he would not move “a single millimetre” from defending German freedom against Russia.
The dispute comes amid growing unease across Europe over Russian hybrid warfare, a mix of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation that falls short of open conflict.
Finland has completed construction of a 200-kilometre fence along its border with Russia, saying it needs the barrier to guard against such tactics.
Germany is one of Ukraine’s largest backers, having provided more than $50 billion in civilian aid and just under $67 billion in military support since 2022.
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At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Seven Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed early on Monday morning because of volcanic ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau, the transport minister said. One other airport in South Sumatra has been reopened.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has scored a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, emerging as the strongest party in the eastern state and putting it closer than ever to forming a regional government.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks overnight, with at least two people killed in strikes on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's Military Administration said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region, Governor Roman Busargin said.
Female employees at the Eiffel Tower were asked to leave their workstations and step out of sight during a private visit by a Hindu religious delegation, prompting a staff protest and an investigation by Paris authorities.
Fresh off President Xi Jinping's state visit to Kyrgyzstan, project officials have announced the successful drilling of a key tunnel along the long-stalled China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, making it the first construction milestone for a flagship Belt and Road project.
Fourteen men are on trial in Paris on Tuesday over the 2021 drowning of more than 30 migrants in the English Channel, the deadliest recorded migrant disaster in the narrow seaway between France and Britain.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of September, covering the latest developments.
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