A serious security incident at Leipzig Airport in Germany has raised alarm among authorities after a drone equipped with an explosive device was found near a Ukrainian transport plane. According to German media, the case is being investigated as a possible attack attempt.

According to reports by Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, citing a confidential German police report, the Ukrainian Antonov aircraft had earlier transported military ammunition from France to Leipzig and was preparing to continue its mission. The drone was discovered on Tuesday evening. Preliminary forensic investigations indicate that it was equipped with a quantity of high-powered explosives, suspected to be Semtex, an explosive used in both the military and industry.

According to authorities, the explosives were placed in a fist-sized package and were attached to the drone. Pyrotechnicians from the Saxony State Criminal Investigation Service managed to deactivate the detonator, allowing the device to be sent for further laboratory analysis. The police report states that at 23:42, airport employees saw the drone flying between two Antonov Airlines transport planes, the Ukrainian state airline. During the incident, the drone reportedly made contact with an airport employee before falling to the ground. So far, no perpetrator or group behind the incident has been identified.

Security alarm
Leipzig Airport is considered a strategic hub for NATO military transport and is also regularly used by Ukrainian transport aircraft.

According to published information, the drone detection and response system failed to identify the device. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the drone may have been modified to evade existing defense systems. He described the incident as a “new level of threat” and spoke of a “possible hybrid attack scenario.”

Suspicions of Russian involvement

Although the minister did not mention Russia directly, Bild reported that his statements were interpreted as an indirect reference to Moscow. German security expert Peter Neumann said that the terms used by the minister, such as “foreign forces,” “professionals,” and “hybrid threat,” are usually associated with the Russian doctrine of hybrid warfare.

However, up to this stage of the investigation, German authorities have not presented public evidence linking the incident to any specific state or organization, while the investigation continues.