WW3 fears explode as Russia threatens to assassinate ‘heads of Western countries’

A senior ally of Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could kill leaders of Western countries as NATO braces for Russian attacks. Dmitry Medvedev, who served one term as Russian President and who is now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, let rip in a fiery post on social media app Telegram.

In it he said: “Berlin has accused Russia of an unproven attack on Leipzig Airport. Given the neo-Nazi, rabidly Russophobic policies of the current German leadership, a fabricated act of sabotage is the weakest form of punishment for their sins. They deserve a direct strike on all German military equipment production facilities for the Bandera clique. And quite possibly on several other locations in Berlin as well.

“And about the mad clown’s threats against civil aviation in Russian skies. The head of state has already described them as an attempt by the Bandera regime to engage in state terrorism. They don’t negotiate with terrorists and respond to their actions with retaliation.

“And every terror has sponsors. At the moment, these are the heads of Western countries, primarily European ones. And they often travel to Kyiv by train…”

Medvedev is infamous for his incendiary diatribes, often hinting at the use of nuclear weapons.

Authorities said on Wednesday that two incidents that disrupted power distribution systems in eastern and western Germany were being investigated as possible acts of sabotage, with one also being examined for possible links to terrorism.

Multiple explosive devices were found Tuesday morning at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg in northeastern Germany. Hours later, a short circuit knocked power lines out of service at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne in western Germany — an incident described by security officials as a deliberate act.

Neither incident affected the general power supply in their areas. Authorities are investigating the incidents but have not named any suspects, nor have they said if they could be connected. They say possible suspects could include a foreign power or left-wing extremists.

The developments come as Germany is on high alert after the government on Tuesday blamed Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4 using a drone laden with explosives.

Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Bergheim is located, said: “A substation is the nerve centre of our daily lives. Anyone who attacks it isn’t just attacking a tin roof — they’re attacking our country, our economy, our daily lives, and all of us. Critical infrastructure is the Achilles’ heel of our society. Perhaps we haven’t taken this issue seriously enough over the years.”

Brandenburg police said Wednesday on X that they had launched an investigation into the suspected formation of a terrorist organisation “in conjunction with causing an explosion involving explosives and the destruction of important work equipment.”

Mr Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann told public broadcaster ARD: “What we are currently experiencing is a hybrid threat and we therefore cannot rule out the possibility that foreign powers are behind it.”

Emergency responders searched the area for evidence, prompting road closures, authorities said Wednesday. Large groups of investigators combed through the area for clues.

Officials described the explosives as “rocketlike objects equipped with a propellant charge” similar to fireworks. They said there were more than a dozen, but that only one managed to carry a cable into the high-voltage power line to establish a conductive connection to the ground, the German news agency dpa reported.

Bright flashes of light could be seen along several power lines at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne in western Germany on Tuesday evening, said Reul.

Mr Reul added: “It wasn’t a broken switch, it was intentional. It was a criminal act. We are investigating two possibilities: sabotage directed by a foreign government and left-wing extremism. We cannot rule out either possibility at this time.”

RWE, the company that operates the power substation, said five coal-fired power plant units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts were taken offline after the incident.

Police said investigators found six launch devices in a nearby cornfield. Chief Detective Michael Esser told reporters that the devices were supposedly designed to use pyrotechnic devices to lift a wire high above the power lines.

The investigation has so far found that “the perpetrators deliberately caused a short circuit by placing conductive material — presumably cables — over the overhead line.”

Security officials from both regions were in contact and closely checking for possible connections between the Brandenburg and Bergheim incidents, Reul said.

Two power plant units were running again by Wednesday afternoon; another one was expected to go back online later on Wednesday. Work is underway to bring the two remaining units back online by the weekend.

German power infrastructure has previously been affected under similar circumstances. Suspected left-wing extremists set fire to high-voltage lines near a power plant in southwest Berlin in January.

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