London recalls Russian Chargé d'Affaires following the drone incident at Leipzig airport

The British Foreign Office summoned the Russian Chargé d’Affaires in the United Kingdom on Thursday to condemn what it described as a “shameless and reckless attack,” following the discovery of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Airport in Germany last month.

The British move came a day after the European Union and member states announced they were recalling diplomats from Russian missions and considering additional sanctions against Moscow, in the wake of the drone incident for which Germany has held Russia responsible.

A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said in a statement: “We summoned the Russian Chargé d’Affaires today to condemn this attack in the strongest terms,” describing the incident as “the latest link in a clear chain of attempts by the Russian state to undermine our collective security.”

He emphasized that London stressed during the summons that it “will continue to expose hostile Russian activity at all levels.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the measures taken by Germany against his country as “a new serious mistake.”

Berlin had announced that, starting September 18, it would close the last Russian consulate on its territory in Bonn, as well as the Russian Cultural Center in Berlin.

In response, Russia announced on Thursday that it would soon close the German Goethe Institute.