BERLIN, Germany — German authorities launched a major security operation after an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig-Halle Airport, while a separate cargo plane collided with an unidentified flying object before landing safely, prompting renewed concerns over suspected sabotage targeting critical infrastructure.
Flights to the airport in eastern Germany were suspended for several hours shortly before midnight as bomb disposal experts secured the area and removed the detonator from the explosive device attached to the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Police said the drone was found on the airport’s tarmac, triggering the diversion of all incoming flights while investigators assessed the threat.
Leipzig-Halle Airport is a strategic logistics hub used by the German armed forces and NATO allies for transporting military equipment. It also serves as an operational base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines.
Video footage from local media showed a bomb disposal robot operating near an Antonov cargo aircraft painted in the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag and bearing the inscription, “Be Brave Like Kherson,” a reference to the Ukrainian region heavily affected by Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, blamed Russia for the incident.
“Who else could it be but Russia?” he told German broadcaster Welt TV.
Russian authorities had not commented on the allegations by Wednesday.
Cargo Plane Struck by Unknown Object
German police said the security operation began after an unidentified flying object was detected near the airport shortly before midnight.
“Shortly before midnight, an unidentified flying object was sighted near Leipzig-Halle Airport, prompting the diversion of several aircraft — including a passenger plane — to other airports,” police said.
Authorities later confirmed that explosives experts used a robot to safely remove the detonator from the device attached to the drone.
Police also disclosed that a second unidentified object struck a cargo aircraft during its approach to the airport.
According to investigators, the aircraft later landed safely in Hanover, where inspectors discovered minor damage.
German newspaper Bild reported that the aircraft involved was a DHL cargo plane that had initially aborted its landing before colliding with the object approximately six kilometres from the airport at an altitude of about 400 metres.
Airport operations resumed in the early hours of Wednesday using the northern runway, while investigators continued examining the southern runway where the drone was found.
Growing Security Concerns
The incident adds to a series of security threats involving drones over sensitive sites in Germany and across Europe.
Authorities have repeatedly reported UAV sightings over airports, military facilities and industrial installations, with intelligence agencies suspecting many incidents form part of a broader campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation attributed to Russia.
Moscow has consistently denied involvement in such activities.
Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament’s intelligence oversight committee, said the latest incident appeared to target infrastructure important to Ukraine.
“If the details are confirmed, it would represent a new level of escalation in these sorts of attacks,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
Leipzig-Halle Airport has previously featured in investigations linked to suspected foreign sabotage.
In July 2024, a parcel caught fire before being loaded onto a DHL cargo aircraft at the airport in what German security agencies investigated as a suspected Russia-linked arson plot.
Separately, a Chinese national was convicted last year of passing information about flight schedules and cargo movements at the airport to an individual accused of spying for Beijing.
Makeiev said the latest incident demonstrated that Russia’s campaign extended beyond Ukraine.
“Russia has long been waging this hybrid war,” he said.
“Yet the word ‘hybrid’ somehow downplays the fact that Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine but also against Europe.”
German authorities said investigations into both incidents remain ongoing.
