The German government announced on September 1 that Russia was responsible for a drone attack on the Leipzig/Halle airport. ^[1] According to the state election order for Saxony-Anhalt, anyone has the right to access the polling station during the election and vote counting as long as they do not disrupt the proceedings, and the election board can expel disruptive persons. ^[2] AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund called on supporters to 'look closely' at the vote counting in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, and AfD federal leader Tino Chrupalla speculated that mail-in voting might not be entirely proper. ^[3] The civil society platform Wahlen, supported by the European Exchange gGmbH and the European Platform for Democratic Elections, announced it will send more than 80 short-term and 12 long-term observers across Saxony-Anhalt for the state election. ^[4] The right-wing network Ein Prozent launched an interactive 'election observer map' on 2026-09-01, allowing volunteers to register to cover polling stations; by Tuesday, hundreds of people had registered in dozens of electoral districts. ^[5] Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul ordered the closure of the Russian consulate general in Bonn starting September 18 and the termination of the Russian cultural center in Berlin. ^[6] Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that intelligence reports and police investigations demonstrated Russian state agency involvement in the attack. ^[7] NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte affirmed that the alliance would defend its member states against any threat following the alleged hybrid attack attributed to Russia. ^[8]