Russian embassy accuses Government of ‘copy-pasting EU conspiracy theories’

The Russian embassy has accused the Government of “copy-pasting EU conspiracy theories” after its ambassador was summoned to a meeting over a drone attack in Germany.A drone carrying an explosive was discovered near Ukrainian cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4th. The bomb failed to explode as its detonator appeared to be faulty. The German government claimed Russia was responsible for the incident. The Department of Foreign Affairs summoned Russian ambassador Yury Filatov for a meeting on Wednesday in response to new from the Leipzig investigation. READ MOREThe Russian embassy, which has accused Ireland of “anti-Russian propaganda” in the past, issued a statement following the meeting in which it said the Government was repeating “insinuations by the German government” over the Leipzig drone attack and “copy-pasting EU conspiracy theories”. It said Filatov “categorically rejected allegations of a Russian connection to the incident, clearly stating that claims to blame Russia in this context or for any other so-called ‘hybrid activities’ in Europe are absolutely unfounded and misplaced”. The statement claimed accusations of Russian involvement in the Leipzig drone attack were designed “to build up the case for the so-called ‘Russian threat’ to Europe, needed to justify the ongoing war effort by the West against Russia and creeping militarisation of the European Union. “Anti-Russian escalation by the European governments, including the Irish one, is not the way to bring an end to this conflict,” the statement concluded. It comes after European Union foreign ministers met in the Druid’s Glen resort in Co Wicklow this week in a summit as part of Ireland’s EU presidency. The ministers reaffirmed Europe’s commitment to continue providing Ukraine with “political, financial and military support” in its war with Russia. “We stand in solidarity with Germany following the alarming incidents at Leipzig airport, but also with many member states affected by Russia’s attacks, including Estonia only earlier this week. This is very clearly not just about the security of Ukraine, but of Europe as a whole,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said on Wednesday. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been asked for comment on the statement from the Russian embassy.