
German authorities discovered a drone carrying explosives near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Wednesday, prompting a temporary shutdown of the facility and diverting several flights, including a passenger aircraft.
The drone, found on the tarmac near the south runway, contained an unidentified explosive device. Police deployed a bomb-disposal robot to remove its detonator, and the device was later defused. A second flying object may have collided with a freight plane, causing slight damage, after the runway was closed, according to regional police and prosecutors. The north runway reopened after about two hours, while the south runway was already scheduled for maintenance.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt interrupted his vacation to address the incident at the airport, calling it a “new quality of danger” and a “hybrid attack scenario.” He emphasized that the drone’s sophistication suggested professional involvement, not amateur action. “We are dealing here with a professional hybrid threat scenario,” Dobrindt told reporters, adding that the investigation would examine the explosives, the drone’s construction, its origin, and those responsible .
The airport serves as a key logistics hub for NATO and the German military, as well as a base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines, which relocated after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Video footage showed the bomb-disposal robot near an Antonov plane painted in Ukraine’s national colors, with the slogan “Be Brave Like Kherson” on its side. Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, blamed Russia for the incident, stating, “Who else could it be but Russia?” on Welt TV .
Dobrindt did not rule out the involvement of “foreign powers” and noted that existing anti-drone defenses at the airport had been bypassed. “This drone was specially designed to evade existing counter-drone measures,” he said, according to reports .
Authorities continue to search for parts of a possible second drone. NATO acknowledged the incident but deferred further comment to German officials. No injuries were reported, and flights resumed normal operations during the day.
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