Russia Suspected in Leipzig Airport Drone-Bomb Attack

As Germany investigates how a drone loaded with explosives reached a runway at Leipzig airport late on Tuesday night, authorities are pointing to what could be a new form of hybrid warfare. The country's interior minister has warned of a new level of danger from an attack that may involve foreign powers.

The Incident

The quadcopter drone was discovered on the tarmac close to several Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes. A DHL cargo plane also collided with an unidentified object as it attempted to land at Leipzig around the same time, and investigators are working to establish whether that was a second drone. A bomb disposal robot was deployed to remove the device's detonator.

Russian Links Under Scrutiny

While there is no direct proof linking the attack to Russia at this stage, and Moscow denies any role, the BBC has obtained details of a 2024 investigation into a plot in which Russian-linked proxies in Poland and Lithuania handled drones and explosives and delivered them to Germany. In that earlier case, prosecutors allege some suspects transported RDX explosives concealed in cans of sweetcorn and chopped tomatoes, with detonators hidden inside headphone sets. Items were allegedly brought into the EU from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Nearly two dozen suspects have been charged with terror offences in Lithuania and Poland in that case, though their handlers are believed to remain in Russia.

Prior Attack at the Same Airport

In 2024, an incendiary device caught fire at Leipzig airport's DHL hub shortly before it was to be loaded onto a plane, with similar packages later igniting in the UK and Poland. That incident was linked to Russian military intelligence networks.