Explosive drone found at airport in Germany: "A new level of danger"
German investigators have located an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport, less than a month after an incident in which a drone was found near a Ukrainian plane. Security officials point the finger at Russia and estimate that countries assisting Ukraine are in the crosshairs.
Investigators in Germany have located an explosive drone near Leipzig/Halle Airport, Reuters reported today (Tuesday). This is the third drone to be located, after another explosive drone was discovered on the airport grounds earlier this month.
The drone was located about two weeks ago, and today German authorities authorized the release of the information. In addition to the drone, 50 grams of the explosive material RDX, which is mostly used for military purposes, were found at the scene. In the Kursdorf area, located north of the airport, investigators found a device suspected of being used to control drones, and nearby, signs of fire and metal fragments. Investigators are now checking what happened in the area where the remote control and burn marks were found.
The first incident, in which an explosive drone was found on the runway at the airport, occurred on the night between August 4 and 5, when airport employees found the drone near a cargo plane belonging to the Ukrainian company Antonov. The plane next to which the drone was found is used to transport military equipment, and investigators believe it was the target of an attack. At the same time, a cargo plane from the company DHL was forced to abort its landing and collided shortly thereafter with an unidentified object, suspected to be another drone.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany will soon publish who the suspects are in carrying out the terrorist acts and sending the drones. Although the official announcement has not yet been released, security sources quoted in German media estimated that these are Russian operations as part of a broader campaign against infrastructure related to support for Ukraine, and German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated:
"This is a new level of danger."
The explosive drones have caused concern among security officials in Germany due to the strategic role of Leipzig/Halle Airport. The port is used by the German military and NATO forces, and since the Russia-Ukraine war, the Ukrainian company Antonov has also been using it to transport military equipment related to the war.
The suspicion of Russian involvement joins a series of similar incidents across Europe, in which unidentified drones were located near airports, military facilities, and logistics infrastructure. Germany and other European countries have previously accused Russian entities of sabotage and espionage, claims that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Berlin fears that the use of drones for intelligence gathering or carrying out attacks could become a central tool in the campaign against European countries that support Ukraine.
