Explosive-Laden Drone Found Near Ukrainian Cargo Planes at German Airport
- German police found a drone carrying an explosive device near Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport overnight
- Germany's interior minister described the incident as a 'new level of threat', warning of a professional hybrid threat scenario
- A second unidentified object struck a cargo plane near the same airport, which landed in Hanover with minor damage
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German police discovered a drone carrying an explosive device at Leipzig/Halle Airport overnight, after an employee spotted the object close to parked Ukrainian cargo planes. A robot was deployed to handle the device before investigators removed its detonator and carried out a controlled explosion.
Saxony police confirmed a second unidentified object also struck a cargo aircraft operating near the airport. That plane continued to Hanover, landing with minor damage.
Source: Getty Images
Germany's "New Level of Threat"
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the incidents marked a significant escalation in the country's security environment. "All of this does not point to an amateurish approach. We are talking about a professional, hybrid threat scenario that we will continue to address," he said. Without naming any suspects, Dobrindt suggested the investigation could point to "competition" involving foreign powers.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, was more direct in his assessment, telling Welt TV: "Who else could it be but Russia?" Russia has not issued any comment on the incidents.
Flights resumed on Leipzig/Halle Airport's northern runway at 01:55 local time, while the southern runway remained closed.
A Hub With Strategic Significance
Leipzig/Halle Airport holds considerable strategic value. The facility serves the German military and NATO allies as a transit point for military equipment, and also functions as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, which handles the bulk of the country's air cargo operations. Logistics giant DHL also uses the airport as a major hub.
German airports have faced a surge in unauthorised drone activity in recent months, with sightings reported over military installations, energy terminals, seaports and logistics centres. Authorities have flagged potential Russian involvement in some of these incidents, a claim Moscow has consistently rejected.
Security expert Peter R. Neumann, a professor of Security Studies at King's College London, linked the timing of such incidents to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. Writing on X, he said: "Since last night, the drone war has reached Germany. And it exposes a weakness that we've known about for years."
Leipzig/Halle Airport has previously been at the centre of security concerns. In July 2024, a parcel burst into flames on the tarmac before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane, part of a broader series of parcel fire incidents targeting the UK and European Union countries. Investigators found the parcels contained explosive devices triggered by electronic timers concealed inside vibrating massage pillows. Russia denied any involvement in those incidents as well.
Separately, a Chinese woman was convicted last year for passing flight schedule and cargo movement information from the airport to a man working as a spy for Beijing.
Source: Legit.ng
