***Vows to retaliate every hostile act

THE government of the Russian Federation has described allegations by Germany of masterminding the drone that crashed at Leipzig Airport on Wednesday as unsubstantiated and politically motivated.

In a statement issued Thursday by Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov and made available by Charge d’ Affairs, Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nigeria, Igor Ivannikov, Moscow said it refutes totally the politically motivated decisions and unsubstantiated accusations levelled against it by Germany. It also vowed to retaliate to all hostile acts against Russia.

The Minister was reacting to allegations that the drone was masterminded by Russia and consequently, issued a statement that was published in Nigerian media, reflected Germany’s position on the drone.

Russia however described the allegation as groundless, stressing that it was too quick to have concluded that Russia was behind the incident without investigation simply because the drone resembles those used by the Russian Federation.

He also noted that Germany has not provided any technical expertise or independent investigative findings before arriving at conclusion.

Lavrov said that claims of visual identification of the drone without disclosing flight parameters, control frequencies or the wreckage do not stand up to scrutiny.

Russia held that similar equipment is manufactured by various countries and is available on the market. Germany has not requested a joint investigation with Russia, explicitly indicating a biased approach and lack of genuine interest in establishing the true facts.

“Berlin is once again pursuing a course of baseless provocations, repeating the scenario of the Skripal case. It is noteworthy that the aircraft transporting munitions to Ukraine has been involved in the incident.

“Germany is consistently stepping up its military support for the Kiev regime, supplying weapons used against civilians and striking Russian territory. These actions directly contradict the proclaimed Berlin’s stated commitment to peace.

The Minister added that measures taken by Berlin, including the closure of the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural center, visa restrictions and sanctions are completely unproportional to an unexamined case.

“They were announced within hours of the incident without verification of the facts, suggesting a pre-fabricated scenario.

“Germany is deliberately seeking confrontation, using false pretext to further damage bilateral relations. Such actions violate international law and the foundations of diplomatic relations.

“The question here is, how coherent is the German government’s position declaring a fight against hybrid threats and the protection of European security while simultaneously increasing military support for the Kiev authorities whose actions the Russian side has for long documented as exhibiting radical nationalism, russophobia and neo-nazi ideology?

“Germany, which shoulders historical accountability for the tragedies of the 20th century is deliberately turning a blind eye to the resurgence of Nazism in the heart of Europe and supplying weapons to those, using terror against their own population.”

The Minister noted that given the historical experience, Germany should exercise caution in matters related to supporting radical nationalist movements and glorifying individuals associated with nazi ideology.

“Instead, Berlin prefers to label Russia as the primary source of all threats posed to European security while neglecting its own contribution to fueling the conflict in Ukraine.”