Germany responds to Lavrov’s claim of a 'real war' with Russia
Photo: Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister (Getty Images)
An unexpected statement from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the "beginning of a real war" between Russia and Germany is a sign of desperation, believes German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, according to Bild.
The German diplomat criticized his Russian counterpart's remarks and accused him of spreading lies.
The statement in question was one in which Lavrov expressed outrage over Berlin's accusations against Moscow. Germany considers Russia responsible for the drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport.
According to Wadephul, the Russian foreign minister is fully aware of Moscow's guilt and knows about Germany's reaction to it.
He also suggested that Lavrov's statement, made on the day of elections in Saxony-Anhalt, may have been an attempt to create additional uncertainty in German society.
Wadephul emphasized that the Russian authorities are using the tools available to them to influence society, but Germany will not give in to intimidation.
The German minister called Lavrov's rhetorical escalation "a certain manifestation of Russian desperation."
Against this backdrop, the German diplomat recalled that Russia "has not achieved the success in this war (against Ukraine — ed.) that it had hoped for," because "the war was supposed to end within a few days — and now it has been going on for five years."
Deteriorating relations between Germany and Russia
On the night of August 5, a suspicious object was found at Leipzig Airport near the Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft. Due to the incident, the airport's operations were temporarily suspended. It was later determined that the object was a drone.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called the incident "a new level of danger" for the country and one of the manifestations of the hybrid threat.
Following the incident, German media put forward the theory that the Ukrainian aircraft may have been carrying ammunition. It was also assumed that the drone allegedly collided in midair with another unmanned aerial vehicle. However, Antonov Airlines denied this information.
It later emerged that the drone struck the most vulnerable part of the An-124's wing.
On September 1, Germany officially accused Russia of attacking Leipzig Airport.
And a few days later, Lavrov publicly stated that a "real war" with Germany had begun.
