Weeks after an explosive-laden drone was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian cargo plane, the German government formally blamed Russia for the incident and announced significant consequences, including the closure of a Russian consulate.

Alexander Dobrindt, Germany's interior minister, stated on Tuesday that investigators had proof the drone was controlled by agents working "on behalf of Russian state entities." Russia did not immediately respond to the accusation, which ranks among the gravest recent claims of Russian subterfuge in Europe.

The incident follows warnings from European officials that Moscow is increasingly launching small-scale clandestine attacks against countries supporting Ukraine, including jamming aviation-navigation networks over the Baltic Sea, sending drones into Belgian airspace, and planting explosives on train lines in Poland used to ship military aid to Ukraine.

The drone was found in the early hours of Aug. 4 by an airport worker, who stepped on it to prevent it from flying away. Investigators found it equipped with military-grade explosives and a faulty detonator. Security footage showed it had crashed into a wing of a Ukrainian cargo plane, where an explosion could have caused significant damage and casualties. A second drone struck another approaching cargo plane, and a third explosive drone was later found nearby.