The EU and Nato have pledged to intensify pressure on Russia after Germany blamed it for a failed drone attack on Leipzig airport, saying the incident forms part of a wider pattern of risk to European countries. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Leipzig had seen “a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia”, a day after Berlin said evidence from police investigations and intelligence had shown Moscow was behind the attack last month. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance, which includes the US, stood “in full solidarity with Germany”, while warning of increased threats from drones and missile-related incidents along Nato’s eastern flank. Leipzig Attack Cited As “New Normal”Germany said the episode began with a drone carrying explosives that was defused by a robot at Leipzig/Halle airport. A second drone was later thought to have collided with another cargo plane, while a third drone was found about 10 days afterwards at the same airport, which is described as a Nato hub used regularly by Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft. It was not until Tuesday that the German government said its inquiries had established Russia’s responsibility. Interior Minister Herbert Reul said the drone’s configuration, components, explosives and detonator matched material already known from other Russian hybrid operations. Russia has rejected the German accusations that a drone deliberately targeted a Ukrainian cargo plane on 4 August. The Russian foreign ministry said it would respond in “mirror-image” fashion and told Berlin it had offered no evidence. Germany’s chargé d’affaires Bernd Finke was summoned after Moscow rejected Berlin’s “entirely unfounded accusations”. Germany Moves Against Russian PresenceBerlin said it would close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural institution, which Berlin says has long been suspected of functioning as a propaganda outlet for the Kremlin. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko was quoted by the agency as saying Moscow would consider options “maybe” if relations were to be cut, but that it was currently allowing diplomacy a chance. Vladimir Putin condemned Germany’s measures as a serious mistake that “clearly runs counter to the interests of the German people”. Von der Leyen said the Leipzig attack involved “military-grade material carried out by Russian operatives on European Union soil”, adding: “We will not tolerate it.” She said the EU and Nato would increase their efforts to deter Russia, linking the renewed pressure to the expectation that Moscow would stop attacks in Ukraine. Sanctions, Visas And Asset Plan DiscussedDuring meetings in Brussels, EU foreign ministers also met in Wicklow, Ireland. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said ministers discussed possible action at EU level against Russia’s “shadow fleet” of ships used to avoid sanctions while carrying oil and other cargo. Several countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands, said they had summoned Russian ambassadors to protest the attack. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said work was under way on tightening enforcement of existing sanctions. She added there was support for an EU visa entry ban for Russian ex-combatants and tighter visa limits for Russian tourists. Several member states, including Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, are pushing for more than €193bn (£165bn) in frozen Russian assets to be used to help Ukraine. The plan was first proposed at the end of 2025, and Belgium—where some of the money is held—has said it remains concerned about possible financial liability in court, although it said its position had not changed. Von der Leyen said sanctions have already been used to deter Russia and that ministers were debating further steps aimed at cutting deeper into Moscow’s “war chest”. More Incidents Reported In Germany And PolandRutte said there had been a rise in “malign activities” targeting European territory, including fires set in factories producing defence equipment for Ukraine and hybrid attacks like Leipzig. In Germany, authorities reported several acts of suspected sabotage in the past 24 hours, including two attacks on electricity substations—one in the east and another near Cologne in the west. While investigators have not identified those responsible, Reul said the Bergheim incident involved power lines and appeared deliberate, describing the attack as directed at Germany as a whole. Police said six launching devices were found in a field. At the same time, high-voltage lines near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg were damaged, and explosive devices were later discovered at a substation. In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said a fire at a factory producing combat drones in Skarżysko-Kamienna was a deliberate act of arson and sabotage, and arson had not been ruled out in a separate fire at a factory in Lublin on Sunday night. As part of EU support for Ukraine, von der Leyen said the bloc has agreed to loan Kyiv €90bn (£77bn). She said Ukraine had asked for additional billions of euros for PAC-3 air defence missiles and that work was already under way on a joint Europe-Ukraine Freyja anti-ballistic missile defence project. 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