Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has issued a stern warning regarding potential threats from “foreign powers” following the discovery of an explosive drone at Leipzig Airport on Wednesday. This airport serves as a critical logistics hub for NATO and facilitates the transport of military and civilian supplies to Ukraine, which Germany has been supporting since the onset of the Russian invasion, as reported by AFP.
“There is nothing about this case that suggests amateur involvement. We are facing a professional hybrid threat, and we anticipate similar threats in the future,” Dobrindt stated during a press conference in Leipzig. The minister interrupted his vacation to meet with federal and regional authorities in light of the incident.
The term “hybrid warfare,” used predominantly by Europeans, including Germany, encompasses a wide range of actions from sabotage and espionage to disinformation and cyber attacks, aimed at describing Russia’s hostile attitude towards those who accuse it.
According to Dobrindt, addressing this kind of threat cannot rely on a single measure, emphasizing that the incident is part of a broader context designed to “contribute to a sense of insecurity” in Germany.
Drone Evades Anti-Drone Measures
He noted that while Germany has drone defense technology at airports, it was not equipped to handle the specific type of drone involved in this incident. “These defenses were circumvented. Our current understanding is that this drone was specifically designed to evade existing counter-drone measures,” Dobrindt elaborated, as quoted by Bild.
Dobrindt also indicated that the authors of this act may already be familiar with existing defense systems and are utilizing technologies that are undetectable by current defenses, stating, “We are indeed dealing with professional technology here.” He characterized the situation as a “hybrid attack scenario.””>
Earlier, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany pointed the finger at Moscow, stating in an interview with Welt TV, “Who else could it be but Russia?” He offered German authorities Ukrainian expertise in drone technology.
Traffic at Leipzig-Halle Airport was disrupted for two hours on Tuesday night following the discovery of a drone carrying an “unidentified explosive device,” which has since been safely disarmed.
- Escalation in Europe: A drone, reportedly used by Russia in Ukraine, was discovered at Leipzig carrying Semtex explosives.
- A DHL aircraft collided with an unidentified flying object after it aborted its landing maneuver due to the previous closure of the runway.
Images captured during the night showed a bomb disposal robot moving along the runway near an Antonov Airlines cargo plane.
“Undermining Our Democracy”
In addition to the explosive-laden drone, another unidentified flying object struck a cargo plane as it aborted its landing and gained altitude instead. Investigators noted minor damage to the aircraft after it landed safely in Hanover, located 200 kilometers northwest of Leipzig. The plane belonged to the German logistics company DHL.
Situated in the former East Germany, Leipzig-Halle Airport plays a central role in the transport of military supplies, particularly for the German army and NATO allies, and is also a base for Antonov Airlines. The regional airport hosts DHL Express’s European sorting center, a subsidiary of Germany’s Deutsche Post.
In recent months, two security incidents related to Leipzig Airport have already come to light. In July 2024, a parcel caught fire at the DHL center before its scheduled flight. The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service openly accused Moscow of being behind the incident.
Then in September 2025, a Chinese national was convicted of espionage for providing a former collaborator of a far-right MP with information about flights, cargo, and passengers at the airport, particularly concerning military goods and individuals linked to a German arms company, according to prosecutors’ allegations.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry commented earlier in the day regarding the incident, stating, “Russia attempts every day, in one way or another, through hybrid means and various actions, to exert influence here in Germany, aiming at undermining our democracy.” He further stressed that these coordinated and organized attacks by Russia are indeed real but clarified that he was not implying Russian involvement in this specific case.
