Authorities in Leipzig are investigating the appearance of a drone carrying explosives on a runway
Late Tuesday evening, a quadcopter carrying explosives was discovered on the runway at Leipzig Airport in Germany. One of the runways was temporarily closed, and a bomb disposal robot was deployed to remove the detonator, according to BBC News.
The drone was spotted among several Antonov Airlines cargo planes parked on the tarmac. Around the same time, a DHL cargo plane collided with an unidentified object while climbing. Investigators are determining whether this could have been a second drone, as well as identifying who launched the devices and for what purpose.
Germany’s interior minister spoke of a “new level of danger” and warned that foreign states may be involved in the attack. There is currently no evidence of a direct link between the drone and Russia. The Russian Federation—an aggressor state—denies any involvement.
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The BBC also recalls a 2024 incident involving Leipzig Airport. At that time, a package containing a complex incendiary device caught fire at a DHL logistics center shortly before being loaded onto a plane. Similar packages caught fire in the United Kingdom and Poland. In Poland and Lithuania, a group of men is currently on trial; prosecutors believe they are members of a network of operatives recruited by Russian military intelligence.
Lithuanian prosecutors previously reported the seizure of RDX—intended for other terrorist attacks—in an amount equivalent to six kilograms of TNT. According to the case file, the explosives were transported across Europe, hidden in cans of canned corn and crushed tomatoes, while the detonators were concealed in headsets. The suspects were also transporting drone parts and mounting hardware suitable for holding explosives.
At the same time, the BBC emphasizes that there is no evidence of a connection between this case and the drone discovered in Leipzig. Some German sources reported that the explosive substance in the device could have been Semtex, which contains RDX. A spokesperson for Antonov Airlines in Kyiv stated that the company is not speculating about a possible targeting of Ukrainian aircraft, as the reasons for the drone’s appearance have not yet been determined.
