European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels after meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Europe will intensify sanctions pressure on Russia over increasingly brazen sabotage on European soil. The remarks followed two German power-grid sabotage incidents within 24 hours and a critical milestone in the probe of a foiled explosives-laden drone plot at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a civilian cargo hub and NATO logistics base that also parks Ukrainian Antonov An-124 transports. German reports said unidentified perpetrators hurled conductive material onto a critical high-voltage node in Brandenburg and deliberately sabotaged a North Rhine-Westphalia substation, forcing lignite units totaling 4,200 megawatts offline; methods resembled the earlier airport attempt. A joint investigation by Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR said investigators have identified a logistics coordinator and instructor behind the Leipzig plot, including a Russia-born Latvian-passport holder believed tied to Russian intelligence and a Belarus-origin suspect holding a Russian passport who allegedly entered on an Italian tourist visa obtained in Minsk. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul previously said the drone matched equipment from other Russian hybrid operations. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said the Leipzig incident carries all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism and that ministers agreed to advance sanctions on about 1,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, aiming for formal adoption next month. Berlin will close Russia’s Bonn consulate general on September 18, end the Russian House lease in Berlin, tighten entry screening for Russian citizens and increase pressure on Russia’s oil shadow fleet. Cryptocurrency channels are a new focus: the EU’s 21st sanctions package of July 23 covered more than 100 banks and crypto operators and over 40 shadow-fleet tankers, froze the Russian oil price cap at $44 a barrel, and for the first time authorized bans on crypto services to entire third countries, targeting Belarus. Sanctioned exchange Garantex later reappeared as near-identical clone Grinex, while Russia’s digital-currency law effective September 1 legalized crypto as an investment asset, potentially aiding cross-border settlement around fiat curbs. Analysts expect the next package to address Russia-linked crypto transactions, though specifics remain unclear. Moscow denied the accusations; discussions inside the EU remain deadlocked over roughly €200 billion ($232 billion) in frozen Russian central bank assets held mostly in Belgium.