A German airport used to ship Ukraine military equipment resumed flights after discovering an explosive-laden drone, prompting warnings of new threats targeting Europe.
Germany’s Leipzig-Halle airport, a major hub for transporting cargo and arms, diverted several aircraft, including a passenger plane, and closed part of the airport after finding the drone. But operations are now back to normal, officials said.
The incident introduces yet another novel danger for NATO as Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds through its fifth year. While officials have not yet blamed Moscow, the drone was found near a Ukrainian plane, according to German media reports. The tactic also resembles other alleged Russian provocations on European soil in recent years, including drone flyovers and suspect explosions.
“We must assume this is a very serious security incident,” German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters Wednesday. “We are dealing with a hybrid attack scenario.”
He added: “A drone armed with explosives being present here on an airport grounds is a new threat scenario.”
German news agency DPA said the drone was found near a Ukrainian aircraft Wednesday morning, citing a spokesperson for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the transatlantic military alliance.
But no nearby planes were carrying military ammunition, Interior Ministry officials told German lawmakers during a briefing, according to a person familiar with the meeting. That contradicted earlier German media reports.
The officials did confirm reports, however, that the explosives contained substances often used in military equipment, the person added, speaking anonymously to describe the confidential discussion. They also told lawmakers the explosives failed to ignite because of a defective detonator.
A NATO spokesperson told Bloomberg the organization was aware of the incident and German authorities were investigating. The Interior Ministry declined to comment pn the ongoing investigation.
Leipzig airport has been an important base for Ukraine’s Antonov transport planes since Russia invaded the country.
The airport in Leipzig, in the country’s east, has previously been the target of attacks and espionage attempts. In 2025, a woman was convicted of collecting information about flights, particularly military transports, to help with spying for China.
Russia has also been accused of an increasing barrage of encroachments on NATO territory as its war against Ukraine deepens.
Just last week, a stray Russian missile crashed in eastern Poland during an overnight assault on Ukraine. Prior to that, Poland blamed the Kremlin for an explosion on a busy rail route to Ukraine and drone flyovers last year.
Romania also shot down three drones that breached its airspace last month, choosing to engage the drones instead of merely tracking them as it had done previously.
Back in Germany, police recently arrested a 33-year-old Ukrainian man on suspicion of spying on a Bavarian defense contractor. The suspect is accused of working for a foreign intelligence service with the aim of sabotage, the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office said in a statement on Thursday.
Written by: Laura Alviz and Michael Nienaber @Bloomberg
The post “Explosive Drone at German Airport Marks New Threat to Europe” first appeared on Bloomberg