German Chancellor Merz Arrived In Ukraine On Sunday. Russia Launched Strikes Anyway.

Tensions between Russia and Germany escalated further over the past hours after Moscow launched strikes against Kyiv when chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv.

The incident marks an escalation considering that Russia had refrain from conducting attacks against the Ukrainian capital during Merz’s previous visits. An air raid alert began to sound when Merz was visiting the site of a drone attack along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

While the trip took place as Russia continues to escalate attacks ahead of the winter, Germany’s foreign intelligence chief said Berlin is at risk of sparking a “violent conflict with Russia.”

Several countries have been warning of Russia’s escalating threats, but Germany has been among the most vocal. Last month, Berlin directly blamed Moscow for an act of sabotage in the Leipzig airport last month.

“The attempted attack at Leipzig Airport on 4 August fits the established pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

He went on to say that, as a result of the investigation, the country concluded that “Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack,” adding that Berlin expects further attacks of the kind.

Top European officials quickly came out to support Germany. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the “evidence is clear” regarding the attack.

“Nato will continue to strengthen our ability to deter and defend all Allies against any threat – including malign actions like those seen in Leipzig and elsewhere across the Alliance,” Rutte said.

Elsewhere, Danish intelligence warned that there is a “low but growing risk” that Russia will attack a NATO country in the coming months.

The Danish Defence Intelligence Service released a report noting that Russia has “intensified its use of sabotage, destructive cyber attacks and is attacking targets in Europe with drones,” concluding that “hybrid war is escalating.”

It went on to recall the foiled drone attack in Germany, noting that it has “become more willing to take risks.” And warned of potential “sabotage on Danish soil against defence companies.”

Elsewhere in the report, the agency noted that Russia is “under more pressure than it has been at any other point during the war against Ukraine,” sustaining heavy losses on the battlefield and with the economy “on the brink of a major crisis.”

Russia recently warned NATO that it is ready to use nuclear weapons if the alliance seeks to cut off Kaliningrad, an enclave bordering the Baltic Sea, according to a new report.

A document accuses the alliance of going through a “dangerous and reckless course” that puts the sides at “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict,” according to Reuters. It also threats with “Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance’s member states right from the outset”.

“Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the ​rest of the country,” the document added.