An explosive-laden drone found inside Germany’s Leipzig-Halle airport could be traced back to the Russian government. This is what emerges from a US intelligence assessment reported by Wall Street Journalwhich cites American officials familiar with information gathered on the case. The episode dates back to the night between 4 and 5 August 2026, when the unmanned aircraft was identified in a protected area of the airport, one of the main European hubs for freight transport. The drone was located a short distance from some cargo planes of the Ukrainian company Antonov Airlines.
According to what was reconstructed by German investigators and reported by the media, there was an explosive device on board. The device would not have exploded due to a malfunction of the trigger system.
Investigators are trying to understand whether what happened to another plane in the same hours could be linked to the discovery of the drone. A DHL freighter, forced to change its approach due to the closure of the airport, apparently hit an unidentified object in flight. The aircraft then managed to land safely in Hanover, despite some damage to the front. One hypothesis is that the object may have been a second drone
NATO’s fears about Russian operations in Europe
The Leipzig case fits into a context of growing attention for the so-called hybrid operations attributed to Russia on European territory.
The Wall Street Journal reported on August 7 a new American intelligence assessment according to which Vladimir Putin may seek to test NATO’s reaction capacity through limited actions, staying below the threshold of open war with the Alliance.
The scenarios taken into consideration would include sabotage, cyberattacks and, in the most serious case, even a limited incursion into the territory of a Member State.
In recent years, several European countries have reported incidents attributed or suspected of being linked to Russia: cyber attacks, sabotage against infrastructure, fires, interference with GPS systems and airspace violations.
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