The foiled drone attack at Leipzig Airport was a full-blown attack rather than a “hybrid threat” says Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal MR). “We are in a kind of war,” he said, although, according to him, there are no precise indications of a similar attack on Belgium.
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Interior Minister Quintin labels Leipzig drone incident “full-blown Russian attack”
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“Findings from our services and partners point to Russian involvement in planning and execution of the foiled hybrid operation,” Mr Quintin’s German colleague said earlier last week, following a failed drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig Airport. Among other things, investigators found a drone carrying a powerful explosive. It failed to detonate due to a fault with the detonator.
In response, Germany closed a Russian consulate and a cultural centre. Russia described the allegations as “baseless and absurd”.
In a statement, Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said that there are “no concrete indications” of a similar threat in Belgium.
“That does not alter the fact that we have also had problems here. A few months ago, there were also drones here, but they were not loaded with explosives.”
“Our security services are, in any case, monitoring the situation closely. And they will continue to do so, in close cooperation with the security services of our neighbours.”
“This is not a hybrid threat, but an attack”
According to Quintin, the term “hybrid” threat does not do justice to the situation.
“I hate that word,” he says. “What happened in Leipzig was an attack. Full stop. We are in a kind of war.”
“We face cyberattacks every day. Cables are being cut in the Gulf of Finland, and it is clear that the Russians are behind it. These are attacks. They are waging a war against us.”
“We must have the courage to state the facts. That does not mean we should start a war with Russia ourselves, but our German partners have made it very clear that this was a Russian attack.”
According to Quintin, there is no cause for concern for the time being. “We must, however, be aware that we are living in a new geopolitical reality. That is why we must take measures.”
“First and foremost, we must ensure our security services function effectively, in close consultation with all our allies: our neighbours in Europe, but also the Americans. That way, we will certainly have the intelligence we need to protect ourselves.”
In addition, we must once again invest more in defence, Quintin concludes. “Over the past 10 to 15 years, this has not been done to a sufficient extent. Investment in the armed forces also strengthens our intelligence capabilities. Military intelligence services play a crucial role in gathering information.”