An explosive-laden drone was discovered near Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle airport early Wednesday, prompting a major security response at a key logistics hub for military shipments linked to the Ukraine war.
Airport staff found the device around midnight in a secure cargo area where Antonov Airlines stations six aircraft. The drone carried up to 800 grams of PETN and Semtex plastic explosives, but a faulty detonator prevented an explosion. Flight operations were briefly suspended before resuming, though the southern runway remained closed. A second unidentified flying object later struck a cargo plane, forcing it to land in Hanover with minor damage.
Saxony's interior minister Armin Schuster called it a "very serious security incident", while federal interior minister Alexander Dobrindt cut short his holiday for an emergency briefing. Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, pointed to Russian involvement. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler said signs suggest possible state sponsorship behind the attack on the airport, which serves NATO and German military operations.