Russia Just Made Its BIGGEST MISTAKE Yet… Germany Vows REVENGE

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Become a Member Today and Unlock EXCLUSIVE Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join  Germany has officially attributed a series of explosive drone strikes and sabotage attempts at Leipzig Airport to Russian hybrid warfare. In response to attacks targeting European aviation logistics and critical energy infrastructure, German lawmakers are pushing to leverage long-range Taurus cruise missile deliveries to Ukraine as a direct counter-deterrent. Discover how Moscow's gray-zone aggression is driving Berlin to overhaul its intelligence apparatus, expand defense spending, and reconsider its missile export constraints.  ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Explosive Drones and Mid-Air Collisions Target Leipzig Airport 03:17 - Third Drone and Explosives Cache Discovered Near Leipzig 04:12 - Germany Formally Accuses Kremlin of Leipzig Hybrid Attacks 07:10 - Calls Re-Emerge to Send German Taurus Missiles to Ukraine 09:54 - Taurus Missiles & MEPHISTO Warhead Capabilities 11:34 - Diplomatic Expulsions and Shadow Fleet Crackdowns 12:50 - Germany Overhauls Intelligence Powers and Expands Defense Spending 14:18 - Attempted Sabotage Against Brandenburg Power Plant Substation 16:19 - Is Germany Already at War? Former Defense Official Weighs In  Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join  #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow  SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/8pN08v4g

Transcript

00:00At this point we're starting to think it's pathological.

00:03This constant poking of NATO that Putin insists on engaging in was already bad enough.

00:09But now it's gone too far.

00:10Russia just made its biggest mistake yet by targeting a NATO airport in Germany.

00:15Leipzig has become the epicenter for an escalation in Russian hybrid activity and Germany has had enough.

00:22It's not just accusing Russia of sending drones to Leipzig airport.

00:25One of the country's lawmakers says revenge is needed right now.

00:30And that revenge may come in the shape of a weapon with a certain bullish inspiration.

00:35August was the month that Putin stumbled into a blunder so massive,

00:38it changed how some in Germany approached the country's entire relationship with Russia.

00:44A trio of incidents, all involving Leipzig airport, have put German lawmakers on edge

00:49and left some calling for an escalation of their own to send a message to Putin

00:54that Berlin can't be pushed around.

00:56The first incident occurred just before midnight on August 4th,

00:59when authorities at Leipzig airport were forced to divert several flights,

01:03one carrying passengers, to other airports after a sighting of an unidentified flying object.

01:09That object didn't stay unidentified for very long.

01:12It was a drone and Germany had to act.

01:14A bomb disposal robot was deployed to handle the drone,

01:18which was discovered flying perilously close to a Ukrainian cargo plane.

01:22It was later confirmed that the drone was loaded with explosives and a detonator,

01:26suggesting that it hadn't been sent as a vague threat.

01:29It was there to do damage.

01:31CNN reports that investigators now believe that the only reason the drone didn't detonate

01:36was a technical malfunction.

01:37But before we continue, if you're enjoying the video, consider subscribing and let us know your thoughts below.

01:43You can also become a channel member for access to exclusive content we don't publish publicly.

01:48Germany was put on notice, and it wasn't long before another incident involving the same airport occurred.

01:54This one involved a collision.

01:56On August 5th, the Aviation Herald reported an incident that flew somewhat under the radar

02:01during the furore involving the explosive drone.

02:03An EAT Leipzig Boeing 757-200 freighter flying from Marseille collided with an unknown object

02:11while on its final approach to Leipzig airport.

02:13Thankfully, the object doesn't seem to have been carrying an explosive payload.

02:17The aircraft sustained minor damage, and it was diverted to Hanover airport, where it landed safely.

02:23The object the plane collided with appears to have been flying at about 400 meters at the time of the

02:29incident.

02:29By August 6th and with the first drone handled, a search was underway at Leipzig airport,

02:34as investigators looked for any debris from what was later determined to be a drone that had collided with the

02:38aircraft.

02:39The location of these two incidents was no coincidence.

02:43Leipzig airport is one of Europe's leading cargo hubs,

02:46and it's proven especially useful to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

02:49The airport regularly hosts Ukrainian Antonov Airlines transport aircraft.

02:54In fact, the first drone discovered at Leipzig was loitering in the vicinity of four of these aircraft

02:59before it was discovered and disposed of.

03:01The pieces were all starting to come together.

03:04However, Germany wasn't quite ready to point the finger of blame at the obvious culprit.

03:09Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt would only say that his country was facing daily hybrid warfare attacks from abroad.

03:15Espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks or covert operations by foreign powers aimed at destabilizing Germany or inflicting direct harm are a

03:25constant reality, Dobrindt declared.

03:27Russia wasn't named, but the vagueness in Dobrindt's words wouldn't last for much longer.

03:32About a week later on August 14th, German investigators discovered a third drone at Leipzig airport.

03:39And this time that drone was found alongside a small cache of military-grade explosives,

03:43suggesting that there may have been a plot in progress involving saboteurs who intended to collect those explosives and launch

03:49an attack.

03:50The drone was discovered in an area named Kabulske Tal, which lies just west of Leipzig airport,

03:56and it was accompanied by about 50 grams of suspected military explosive.

04:00German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave us the first hint that Germany had finally had enough.

04:05They will pay for this, he declared.

04:07Though he, like his interior minister, stopped short of saying who they were.

04:11But the message was clear. Some form of revenge is coming.

04:15Some time has passed since these incidents,

04:18and Germany's investigators have been working tirelessly to determine who was behind all of these drones.

04:23Now, finally, Germany is ready to say who was behind the attacks.

04:27It's Russia, because of course it's Russia.

04:29On September 1st, the BBC reported that Germany had officially stated that the Kremlin is behind everything.

04:36Dobrindt, who was previously wary of mentioning Russia by name,

04:39said that the attacks fit the well-established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe.

04:45And he added that it's a safe assumption that Germany is likely to be targeted again.

04:49Several measures were announced, which we'll be getting to soon,

04:52but Russia, as Russia so often does, is denying everything.

04:56Those denials are coming thick and fast.

04:58Russian propagandists are already calling Germany's claims of Russian involvement

05:02false and unprecedented,

05:04which is a pair of lies so massive that if Putin were Pinocchio,

05:07he wouldn't stand a chance of ever becoming a real boy.

05:10Putin himself has gone a step further,

05:12claiming that German authorities have planted evidence designed to implicate Moscow in the drone attacks.

05:17Of course, Russia's president provided no evidence for this claim.

05:21He thinks that he doesn't need to.

05:22Simply saying that it's all fake is enough to serve Putin's narrative

05:26that NATO is looking to string Russia up in any way that it can.

05:29These claims of no involvement have been accompanied by the usual threats from Russia,

05:33as it tries to assert its dominance in the situation.

05:36The spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova,

05:40has already declared that Russia will respond to anything Germany does in a mirror image fashion.

05:45She also claimed that Berlin is sponsoring terrorism due to its support of Ukraine.

05:50We think the lady does protest too much.

05:53And she unwittingly or otherwise just served up Russia's motive for the Leipzig airport incidents on a platter.

05:59The reality is that the evidence has mounted and it's obvious that Russia is behind these attacks.

06:05CNN reports that Germany's investigators have examined the drones used very closely.

06:09The way those drones were made and the explosives either loaded into them or supplied alongside them all point toward

06:15a high degree of sophistication.

06:17The investigators also say that these drones point toward the way that Russia operates in Ukraine

06:22and that it seems likely that Russia either sent low-level operators into Germany

06:26or perhaps employed domestic saboteurs to carry out the attacks.

06:30The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutter, also declared that the entire organization stands behind Germany's Russia-centric response to

06:37these Leipzig incidents stating,

06:39The evidence is clear and I welcome the measures announced by Germany in response.

06:43Before he also named the likely culprit adding,

06:46Russia's attempts to intimidate us to undermine our unity and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and will fail.

06:52The point we're making here is that when we tell you that Germany is taking revenge on Russia,

06:57there is plenty of evidence that explains why Russia is the target despite its protestations.

07:02But we have yet to cover that revenge.

07:04We can break it down into two categories,

07:06what Germany has done and what it may be planning to do.

07:09We'll cover both in a moment.

07:11But first, this is a reminder that you're watching the military show.

07:14If this is the kind of insight that you want to see,

07:16make sure you're subscribed to the channel and have notifications enabled.

07:20We'll start with what some in Germany want the country to do in retaliation.

07:24On September 1, Euromiden Press reported that Wolfgang Kubitsky,

07:28who is the chair of the Free Democratic Party in Germany,

07:31has proposed that Berlin should summon the Russian ambassador to Germany

07:34and remind him that Germany has powerful Taurus cruise missiles that it could send to Ukraine

07:40if Russia doesn't halt its hybrid attacks.

07:42The idea, at least right now, is to use the missiles as leverage against Russia.

07:47If Russia stops, then the German bull stays dormant.

07:49But if more drones arrive at airports or any other hybrid attacks happen,

07:53that bull will be unleashed by way of Ukraine.

07:56Kubitsky says that any reasonable person would take this course of action.

07:59He is clearly trying to spark a debate.

08:01At several points during the war in Ukraine,

08:04the idea of Germany sending Taurus missiles into Ukraine has been raised and then quashed.

08:09Germany is wary of an escalation.

08:11In 2025, Germany ruled out sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine,

08:15preferring instead to fund other long-range systems that aren't made in Germany.

08:19Mertz reiterated this stance in March 2026,

08:22going so far as to claim that Ukraine no longer needs Taurus missiles

08:25because it has built a long-range arsenal to be feared.

08:28Today, Ukraine itself has long-range weapons in its depots,

08:31which it has built itself partly with our help,

08:33and which are significantly more effective than the relatively small number of Taurus cruise missiles we could have delivered, Mertz

08:39declared.

08:39This would have been frustrating for Ukraine to hear, especially as Mertz had claimed he would send Taurus missiles when

08:45he was running for chancellor.

08:47For Ukraine, any effective weapon it can get is a good weapon,

08:50and that's without even considering the strong message that sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine would send to Putin when it

08:56comes to Germany's support.

08:57Germany's stance hasn't changed.

08:59Just a couple of months before Kubitsky's recommendation,

09:02the German parliament rejected a renewed proposal to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

09:06The draft revolution, which also called for increased Patriot Pact-2 missile production,

09:11and more military and humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine,

09:14was roundly defeated, with a vote of 79-4 and 510 against.

09:19However, there's something important about this proposal.

09:21It was submitted before Russia's Leipzig airport attacks.

09:25Putin's blunder here is that he may have just given Germany more of a reason than it's ever had before

09:29to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

09:31At the very least, Russia's actions have sparked a deeper conversation among Germany's lawmakers,

09:36and that's a step in the right direction for Ukraine.

09:39Not necessarily the huge step that Ukraine wants to see.

09:41The Free Democratic Party has always supported the idea of sending more weapons to Ukraine,

09:46and the party doesn't currently hold any seats in Germany's parliament, meaning it's unable to affect votes directly.

09:52But as long as Taurus is on the tongues of potential lawmakers,

09:55there's a possibility it will be used by Germany as revenge for Leipzig.

09:59If it is, Ukraine will be getting a powerful weapon.

10:02Taurus is a cruise missile capable of travelling more than 500km,

10:06and armed with tandem warheads weighing 481kg.

10:10So it packs range and firepower.

10:12It also has a low-level terrain-following navigation system, allowing it to hug the ground,

10:17so it's difficult for air defences to track it.

10:20And with its turbojet propulsion system, the Taurus can hit speeds up to Mach 0.94.

10:25The tandem warheads are the star of the show here, and despite what Mertz claims,

10:29they're the reason why Taurus offers something that Ukraine doesn't really have in its arsenal.

10:33Taurus is armed with the Mephisto penetrator warhead, which is designed to breach hardened targets.

10:38The first stage of the warhead, called the pre-charge,

10:42breaches the target's outer defences, splitting concrete or armour apart.

10:46That literally creates an opening for the second stage of the warhead,

10:50which is a high-energy explosive charge, to penetrate deep into the target before detonation,

10:55ensuring maximum destruction is achieved.

10:58Mertz may be playing a little too coy when he says that Ukraine doesn't need Taurus.

11:01Ukraine will be able to use this missile to destroy all sorts of targets in the occupied territories and Russia

11:07itself.

11:08And Putin knows it.

11:10Back in June 2025, when the debate about sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine was raging,

11:15Putin warned Germany not to send the missiles.

11:17What is this if not the involvement of the Federal Republic in a direct armed conflict with the Russian Federation?

11:22It can't be called anything else, Putin said at the time.

11:26Ironic words given what Russia has just done at Leipzig airport.

11:29Putin speaking about Taurus in this way indicates that he is scared of the missile and what it could do.

11:34Germany has an opportunity to make a big move by supplying Taurus to Ukraine.

11:38Whether it makes that move is yet to be seen.

11:41While the debate about Taurus missiles heats back up,

11:43there are several things that Germany has actively done both to respond to the Leipzig incidents

11:47and to prepare itself for what many in the country view as an inevitable conflict with Russia.

11:53Once Germany confirmed that Russia was behind the drones it discovered,

11:56Berlin announced the pending closure of several Russian institutions inside Germany.

12:00These include the Bonn Consulate, which is set to be closed on September 18th.

12:04Germany will also end its operating agreement with Russian House,

12:07which is a Kremlin-backed cultural center that is often viewed as a hub of Russian propaganda inside Germany.

12:13Germany's foreign minister, Johan Waderpoel, has also announced that Germany will implement tighter entry controls for Russian nationals.

12:21And he added that Germany will also start putting more pressure on Russia's shadow fleet, though he hasn't said how.

12:26Pressure could mean anything from increased observation to conducting seizures.

12:30Zakharova has already labeled these moves anti-Russian action.

12:33That's how you know they're getting under the Kremlin's collective skin.

12:36Some, including a member of parliament in Mertz's own Christian Democrats party named Roderich Kizaveta,

12:42say that these measures fall short of what's required to send a real message to Moscow.

12:47But they are a start, and Kizaveta's statement lends more fuel to the fire that Taurus is the real response

12:52that will force Russia to back off.

12:54Beyond these reactive moves, Germany has also been beefing itself up to prepare for a fight with Russia.

12:59In mid-August, German lawmakers signed into law a major overhaul in how the country's intelligence agencies operate.

13:06Those agencies now have more power than they've had in decades, especially when it comes to taking action against foreign

13:11threats.

13:12They will have more latitude to conduct non-lethal operations against enemies, such as hacking servers and carrying out sabotage

13:19against potential hackers.

13:20Germany also voted to introduce a voluntary military service program targeting 18-year-olds in a move that is clearly

13:27designed to shore up interest in military service among young people.

13:30That move sparked a wave of protests throughout schools, though it currently amounts to young men having to fill out

13:36a form indicating whether they're willing to join the armed forces.

13:40Women can also fill out the form, though doing so will be voluntary.

13:42And on top of this, Germany is committed to higher defense spending, as it will pour 2.69% of

13:48its gross domestic product, or GDP, into its military in 2026.

13:52That's a substantial increase over the 1.43% of GDP Germany spent in 2021, and it also brings Berlin

13:59in line with current NATO spending recommendations.

14:02So moves are clearly being made.

14:04Taurus heading to Ukraine, or even simply being used as leverage, would be the icing on the cake of Germany's

14:09revenge.

14:10We can say one thing for certain, something has to be done.

14:13And not just because of what's happened at Leipzig airport.

14:16Russia clearly isn't intending to slow down its hybrid campaign, and evidence of that comes from Brandenburg.

14:21On September 1, the news broke that German authorities had reported an attempt to attack energy infrastructure at one of

14:27the country's largest power plants.

14:29Specifically, homemade explosives and incendiary devices were found close to an electrical substation in Ternalprylak, close to the lignite-fired

14:38power station in Brandenburg.

14:39Reports suggest that a homemade rocket was found at the site, along with several other improvised devices.

14:45The targeted substation connects the Jenswalder power plant to Germany's 50Hz transmission grid, making it a major target for potential

14:52saboteurs.

14:53Reuters reports that the number of devices found at the site has now reached double digits, and Germany isn't ruling

14:59out the possibility that foreign powers are involved.

15:01Russia seems like a likely suspect here.

15:04However, it's also worth noting that Germany currently has an issue with extremist groups carrying out acts of sabotage.

15:10Back in January, a group named Falkengrupper claimed responsibility for an attack on a cable bridge at the Lichterfeld power

15:17station in Berlin, which left 35,000 households and almost 2,000 businesses without electricity.

15:23Still, the timing this time around seems to line up with Russia.

15:26After a trio of drone incidents at Leipzig airport, any other evidence of attempted sabotage will inevitably be linked to

15:32the Kremlin.

15:33Power stations are also the precise types of targets Russia likes to hit in its efforts to disrupt.

15:39Ukraine is evidence of that.

15:41Every winter brings with it Russian attacks against Ukraine's power grid and energy infrastructure.

15:45So, an attack against a German power station is right in the Kremlin's wheelhouse.

15:50Investigations into the Brandenburg incident are ongoing.

15:53What Germany now faces, as it tries to measure its responses and the scale of the revenge it should be

15:57taking, is a very important question.

15:59When does the line between provocation and an act of war get crossed?

16:03Is it when drones laden with explosives get sent to an airport?

16:07What about when a drone actively hits an incoming aircraft?

16:10Or when caches of explosives are being found across the country?

16:13We've seen all three of these incidents happen in the space of a month, showing us that Russia is very

16:18clearly willing to escalate as it tests German and NATO patients.

16:22Speaking to CNN, former Chief of Staff of the German Defence Ministry Nico Lange says that though the West often

16:29distinguishes between hybrid and conventional war, Russia doesn't.

16:32The suggestion is that Russia already believes itself to be at war with Germany, but Berlin doesn't know it yet,

16:38or is acting as though the war isn't happening.

16:39It was an attack on Germany, and we should treat this as if the explosives would have worked in the

16:44way they were intended, because the intention clearly was to have a plane that was just refilled.

16:49So it was full of kerosene, a plane go up in flames with military-grade explosives, Lange says.

16:54It's difficult to argue with him.

16:55Germany has already vowed revenge for what Russia has done at Leipzig Airport.

17:00So far, that revenge is unlikely to cause any sleepless nights in the Kremlin.

17:04But if Taurus missiles make their way into Ukraine, that will keep Putin and his cronies awake at night.

17:09Germany would be sending an undeniable message, and in doing so, it would finally hit back after a campaign of

17:15hybrid warfare that has so far seen the fight be one-sided in Russia's favour.

17:20As Germany contemplates its retaliation, NATO is sending signals to Russia that the bear Putin keeps on poking is going

17:27to bite back.

17:28The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad has been threatened by a NATO exercise on its border that was unusually large and

17:34included a new type of aircraft never seen in one of these exercises before.

17:38Find out what all of this means by watching our video.

17:41But before you go, everything you see here is researched, verified and produced by real people.

17:46If you value that, subscribe, comment below and consider becoming a member for access to exclusive content.

17:53And thank you as always for watching.

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