US intelligence agencies believe Russia was behind an explosives-laden drone found at Leipzig Airport last week, according to US media reports, as German authorities have so far stopped short of publicly blaming Moscow for the incident.
The security scare prompted German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to cut short his vacation in Italy and travel to Leipzig. He described the incident as evidence of a “new level of danger” facing Germany.
The drone, a quadcopter carrying Semtex explosives, was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig Airport, a major logistics and military hub. Dobrindt characterized the incident as part of a “professional hybrid threat scenario” involving a well-equipped foreign actor.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials familiar with intelligence assessments, reported that the drone probably belonged to the Russian government. CNN likewise reported that Washington had concluded the device came from a Russian intelligence service. A US defense official in Europe told the network that the type of explosive material found on the drone appeared to indicate a military manufacturer.
German investigators have not publicly identified the perpetrators. However, Bild reported that DNA evidence found at the scene matched a sample from a firebomb that was sent through DHL and exploded at Leipzig Airport in July 2024.
