Lithuania's foreign minister, Kęstutis Budrys, has warned that Russia is "highly likely" to escalate its attacks on European Union member states, arguing that the bloc's previous responses have failed to deter Moscow. Speaking to Euronews, Budrys said the Kremlin still views such operations as a "cheap way" to increase tension and undermine public support for Ukraine.
His comments follow Germany's attribution of an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport to Russian operatives. The device, rigged with explosives, was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft that plays a key role in transporting military supplies. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Budrys commended Berlin's swift response, which included granting Germany's intelligence services broader powers to counter such threats. "The German services, security intelligence services, they acted really quickly, they prevented this plot, this state terrorism act, and they attributed it to the country and the services responsible for it," he said. However, he argued that the incident—the latest in a series of suspected Russian sabotage attempts across Europe—showed that existing EU measures are insufficient.
"For Russia, our previous responses were not enough to recalculate the whole situation, meaning they are not deterred," Budrys said. "Russia still sees this as a sort of cheap way to increase the tension in our society, to raise questions of whether we should continue our support for Ukraine. And it means that Russia, highly likely, will escalate [its attacks] in the future."
Kinetic attacks, not just hybrid warfare
Budrys distinguished these incidents from hybrid threats such as disinformation and cyberattacks, calling them "kinetic" because they involve traditional weaponry. He stressed the need to strengthen counterintelligence capabilities across the EU. "How we are stopping it on the field is through our counterintelligence capabilities, our security and intelligence services, which must be strengthened," he said, adding that political and economic pressure on Moscow must also increase.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed these concerns on Wednesday, warning that such incidents have become the "new normal." She said the EU must "step up and that means being ready to respond to Russia's recklessness faster and better."
Germany has already taken unilateral steps, ordering the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, terminating the contract for the Russian House in Berlin, and announcing tougher entry controls for Russian nationals. The UK also summoned Russia's envoy over the Leipzig incident.
Visa restrictions and sanctions on the table
At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, the issue of restricting Russian travel was high on the agenda. Russian nationals lost access to multiple-entry Schengen visas in November 2025, but Budrys argued that more must be done. "It cannot be that such a huge number of Russian tourists are still travelling right now in the European Union," he said. More than 477,000 tourist visas were granted to Russians last year. "How is it that citizens of a country that wages these activities can still travel here? So we have to restrict those," he added.
Following the meeting, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said member states agreed to press ahead with tougher visa restrictions for Russian tourists and a visa ban for former and current members of the Russian army across the bloc. Germany's Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, also vowed to increase pressure on Moscow's shadow fleet—ageing tankers used to evade Western sanctions on Russian oil.
Von der Leyen confirmed that the EU is preparing additional sanctions against Russia, expected to be drafted by foreign ministers at their next meeting. The moves come amid growing concern over Russian sabotage, with Denmark warning of planned attacks on its defense industry and Finland conducting its largest civil defence drill since WWII. Lithuania has also vowed to respond immediately to any Russian attack.
Budrys insisted that the EU must show Russia that such actions carry a high price. "We have to restrict those," he said, referring to Russian travel, and called for a unified European response that goes beyond individual national measures.
