NATO and European Union leaders have accused Russia of increasingly reckless behavior following Germany’s conclusion that Moscow was behind a failed drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport earlier this month.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the incident as a significant escalation, saying the Leipzig case represented a “new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance, including the United States, stood in “full solidarity with Germany” as European leaders pledged to respond to what they described as a “new normal” of security threats.

Russia has rejected allegations that it attempted to target a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4 using a drone carrying explosives.

German authorities said one drone was safely defused by a bomb-disposal robot, while a second is believed to have collided with another cargo aircraft. A third drone was reportedly discovered at the airport about 10 days later.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is an important logistics hub for NATO and is regularly used by Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft.

Following investigations by police and intelligence agencies, the German government said Tuesday that evidence indicated Russia was responsible for the incidents.

Berlin subsequently announced measures against Russian interests in Germany, including plans to close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural institution, which German officials have suspected of serving as a Kremlin propaganda outlet.

Moscow dismissed the allegations, saying Germany had failed to provide evidence linking Russia to the drone incidents.

In retaliation for Berlin’s measures, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the closure of Germany’s Goethe-Institut cultural centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.

Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow, Bernd Finke, was also summoned by Russian authorities, who formally rejected what they called Berlin’s “entirely unfounded accusations.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Germany’s response as a serious mistake, arguing that the measures were contrary to the interests of the German people.

The escalating diplomatic dispute comes amid heightened concern across Europe over suspected sabotage, drone incursions and other security threats linked to the wider confrontation between Russia and the West.