Source : BRICS NEWS
MUNICH, October 24, 2026 — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that Russia poses a “massive threat” to Germany’s freedom and stability, BRICS News reported on X on Saturday.
The post, published at about 8.23pm Malaysia time and marked “JUST IN”, read: “German Chancellor warns Russia poses a ‘massive threat’ to Germany’s freedom and stability.”
https://x.com/BRICSinfo/status/2113969653135397197
Merz made the remarks at a convention of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of his Christian Democrats and a partner in his governing coalition, in Munich, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
“We are facing a massive threat in the east of our continent. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has profoundly shaken the European peace order,” Merz said. “And we also see that Russia seeks to destabilise Germany, day in and day out.”
The chancellor said the threat was no longer confined to Ukraine. “Across Europe, we are witnessing cyberattacks, sabotage, attempted attacks against critical infrastructure, such as the one at Leipzig Airport on August 4th, and attempts to destabilise our democratic society,” he said. “All of this threatens our freedom, and that is why we are investing in preserving our freedom.”
The Leipzig incident he referred to was an attempted drone strike on a Ukrainian cargo plane at the airport in August, Anadolu reported.
His warning echoed comments by Germany’s foreign intelligence chief earlier this month. On October 5, Federal Intelligence Service President Martin Jaeger told the Bundestag’s intelligence oversight committee that the confrontation with Russia had entered a new and more dangerous phase. “Germany is in danger of becoming embroiled in a violent conflict with Russia. The attempted attack in Leipzig is only one example of that,” Jaeger said. “No other country currently poses such a direct, comprehensive and concrete threat to Germany.”
Merz’s warning came as his government faces mounting political pressure after poor regional election results, Daily Sabah reported. The far-right Alternative for Germany finished first in two eastern states, while the Left Party topped the vote in Berlin, and Merz’s approval ratings have fallen to record lows. At the convention, he praised CSU ministers and CSU leader Markus Söder, and reiterated that working with the AfD, which leads national polls, was off limits. “Any politician who votes with the AfD has no place in our Union,” he said.
He also urged the Social Democrats and the Greens not to form a coalition with the Left Party in Berlin, accusing it of tolerating antisemitism, which the party denies, and pressed his coalition partners to move quickly on reforms to Germany’s pension, tax and welfare systems, arguing that economic recovery was essential to restoring public confidence. Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations that it is waging a campaign of hybrid warfare against Germany and other European countries, and relations between Berlin and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. There was no immediate response from the Kremlin to the chancellor’s latest comments.
Source: BRICS News on X, Anadolu Agency, Al Arabiya, Daily Sabah and DW.
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