According to N-tv, Germany plans to expand its military assistance to Ukraine in September by supplying additional surface-to-air missiles for IRIS-T systems and several thousand strike drones.
The broadcaster also reported that Berlin intends to deepen intelligence cooperation with Kiev. This step is linked in part to the recent incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
N-tv noted that Ukraine’s military gains in recent months have been supported to a significant extent by German assistance.
On the evening of August 4, an airport employee spotted a drone near a Ukrainian An-24 cargo aircraft. Later that night, a DHL cargo plane struck an unidentified object shortly after takeoff, sustained minor damage and subsequently landed in Hanover. On September 1, German authorities blamed Russia for the incidents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin later said Berlin’s accusations against Moscow were connected to Germany’s domestic problems. He argued that amid factory closures and job losses, German authorities were trying to frame the situation as a confrontation with an «aggressive Russia». Putin also said Berlin had not presented any evidence regarding the incidents.