Drone hysteria, Kiev gunfights, and aviation threats: RT stories that shaped the week

RT’s essential stories of the past seven days also included a warning from Washington over Ukraine’s energy war and a gathering of Eurasian powers in Bishkek Europe sees Russian drones everywhere Germany found a new Russian threat this week, accusing Russia of staging a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August, where an explosives-laden UAV was reportedly found between Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. Before returning to Germany, RT India reports on a case of Ukrainian mercenaries who launched a drone at a passenger jet in Myanmar, and are now languishing in an Indian jail. Berlin launched a raft of anti-Russian measures, including closing Moscow’s consulate in Bonn, ending the lease of the Russian House cultural center in Berlin, tightening border controls for Russian nationals, and drawing up another sanctions list. But as these stories usually go, Berlin presented no actual proof that Russia had anything to do with the drone. Read more Moscow dismisses ‘fabricated’ German drone incident claims “Where is the evidence? Well, they planted the evidence,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, suggesting that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz needs the image of an “aggressive Russia” to distract from factory closures, job losses, and falling living standards at home. Berlin’s outburst is the latest evidence of the mass Russian drone hysteria that has gripped many of Kiev’s European backers. No claims of Russian drones over airports, military bases, and infrastructure have been proven, while the Brussels hymn sheet includes ‘hybrid attacks’ and a ‘drone wall’. READ MORE: Faith in fakes: How anti-Russian hysteria is driving the EU’s drone hoax The fact that no investigators have confirmed any of the numerous claims, nor produced any evidence of hostile drone activity, has remained conveniently ignored in the Western mainstream.

Kiev gets desperate, threatens EVERYONE While European governments searched the skies for Russian drones that may or may not exist, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky threw subtlety out the window and issued a direct threat to virtually all aircraft flying in Russia’s airspace. Read more Zelensky threatens ‘every airline’ in Russian airspace ”The safe days in Russia’s skies are over,” Zelensky declared on Tuesday, warning “every airline” using Russian airspace that Kiev’s expanding long-range campaign would make flying increasingly dangerous. After threatening not only Russian passengers, but also airlines from Türkiye, China, the Gulf, Central Asia, and even Europe, Kiev demanded that the International Civil Aviation Organization effectively close Russian airspace to all international traffic. The ICAO did not oblige. RT looked at who exactly Zelensky was threatening, how many people use Russia’s skies daily, whether Kiev could actually close Russia’s enormous airspace, and why foreign airlines have so far refused to panic. READ MORE: Who is Zelensky threatening in Russian skies? Russian President Vladimir Putin called out Zelensky’s threats as a blatant move toward “state terrorism,” which calls into question the prospects for future dialogue. “There are no negotiations with terrorists,” he said, warning that Russia would respond if Kiev’s threats resulted in tragedy. Aviation expert Roman Gusarov told RT that Zelensky’s threat is an “act of desperation” after weeks of punishing Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports, energy facilities, warehouses, and military infrastructure. Read more Warfare between Ukraine’s special services: Why have gunfights broken out in Kiev? (VIDEOS) Domestic issues keep mounting for Zelensky Over the week, Zelensky’s problems at home only grew as agents