EditGermany blames Russia for Leipzig airport drone incident
Moscow calls the claims “absurd” and an unprecedented escalation
Germany said on 1 September that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August and announced retaliatory steps, including closure of Russia’s consulate general in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said police work, offence patterns and intelligence findings pointed to individuals acting on behalf of Russian state agencies. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the incident as part of a wider pattern of Russian hybrid operations against European infrastructure.
On 5 August 2026 a drone was discovered near a runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, after a DHL cargo aircraft struck an unidentified object while climbing away from the airport. Explosives experts examined the device; no one was injured and operations resumed after a security sweep. German authorities later described the episode as an attempted drone attack and, on 1 September, attributed it to individuals acting on behalf of Russian state agencies.
Attack drone found near Ukrainian plane at German airport; DHL jet damaged in mid-air collision
Russia rejected the accusation in unusually sharp terms. The Russian embassy in Berlin called the allegations an “unsubstantiated, absurd” provocation that would benefit Ukraine, “the militaristic wing of Europe’s elite” and arms manufacturers. It said the German measures represented “an unprecedented escalation” that “will not remain without consequences,” for which Berlin would bear full responsibility. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no evidence had been presented and that Germany was pursuing a path of further escalation.
Several EU leaders expressed solidarity with Germany. The announcement came days before a state election in Saxony-Anhalt in which the AfD, which has advocated closer ties with Moscow, leads the polls.
As we reported on 1 September, two incidents struck critical infrastructure on either side of the German–Polish border within hours of each other. In Brandenburg, improvised explosive and incendiary devices damaged overhead lines at the Preilack substation feeding the Jänschwalde power plant; one unit went offline and operators called it an attack. Across the frontier, a fire at Poland’s WB Electronics drone factory in Skarżysko-Kamienna- supplier of systems used by Ukraine – was treated by prosecutors as possible sabotage involving a flammable device and a masked intruder captured on CCTV. Attribution in both cases remains open, but the Leipzig airport episode now sits in the same cluster of events that raise the question of hybrid warfare versus deniable strikes on European energy and defence production.
Explosion in Germany, sabotage in Poland: simple incidents, hybrid war or state terrorism?
With Reuters, edited by g.g.
Caption: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt R) and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attend a press conference on the drone incident at Leipzig Airport in Berlin, Germany 01 September 2026. A drone loaded with explosives was found on 05 August near a Ukrainian cargo plane, while another aircraft collided with an unidentified flying object nearby shortly before landing safely. The airport in eastern Germany plays a key role in the transport of military supplies by the German Armed Forces and NATO allies. It also serves as a base for the Ukrainian airline Antonov Airlines. EPA/FILIP SINGER
Updated: September 2, 2026 - 05:56
