BERLIN, September 1. /TASS/. Germany plans to expel Russian diplomats from Germany and has in recent days been discussing closing the consulate general in Bonn in connection with the alleged Russian-placed drone laced with explosives found at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Der Spiegel quoted sources as saying.
The magazine writes that the closure of the Russian House in Berlin cannot be ruled out, but the German cabinet will not request consultations in accordance with Article 4 of the NATO Treaty.
As expected later on Tuesday, Interior and the Foreign Ministers Alexander Dobrindt and Johann Wadephul will give a press briefing on the results of the investigation into the incident in Leipzig and the government’s possible steps.
On August 29, the European publication Politico and several German media outlet said that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz planned to hold Russia responsible for the incident in Leipzig at the beginning of the week and announce large·scale retaliatory measures.
The Russian embassy in Germany previously described the finding of the drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport as a hastily concocted provocation, noting that it "serves exclusively the interests of Kiev and the militaristic wing of the European political class."
On the evening of August 4, a drone with an improvised explosive device was found on the airport’s flight field next to a Ukrainian An cargo plane -- the detonator did not detonate. The same night, a second drone collided with a DHL cargo plane. Later, it became known that 10 days later, investigators found a third drone, as well as traces of a powerful explosive substance -- presumably about 50 grams of hexogen. Dobrindt described the incident as a "hybrid attack scenario," not ruling out that "foreign states" could be behind it. The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office is conducting the investigation.