A drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig airport in Germany, close to a Ukrainian cargo plane. DR reports that the case is being viewed as the latest in a series of suspected Russian hybrid attacks in Europe.
DR reports that the drone was discovered at the airport in Leipzig, where German police worked on the runway after the find. According to DR, the exact perpetrator is not known. The case is being discussed as a possible escalation if Russia turns out to be behind it.
DR spoke with Flemming Splidsboel, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), who published a book this spring on defending against hybrid warfare. As reported by DR, he says Russia is making increasing use of methods that fall outside conventional battlefield warfare. Per his assessment, the systematic search for weak points in other societies is now established and will not disappear.
Splidsboel told DR that flying a drone into a cargo aircraft in that way would be remarkable. DR notes that Leipzig may be the most serious case so far, but it is far from the first. Western authorities have suspected Russia of sabotage or hybrid operations in Europe repeatedly since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier suspected cases
According to DR, fires broke out in 2024 at DHL logistics centers in Leipzig, the United Kingdom and Poland. Investigators found that the fires had started in parcels containing hidden incendiary devices. European investigators later assessed that the operation was organized through a network linked to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU.
DR reports that one purpose of the 2024 parcel operation was to test whether incendiary or explosive devices could be brought aboard cargo aircraft. Russia denies any involvement in the sabotage. That earlier case also involved the Leipzig site, according to DR’s account.
British authorities have investigated a series of fires at businesses linked to Ukraine or to the British defense industry, DR reports. In several cases, people were charged over actions that prosecutors said had links to Russian intelligence services. Several were convicted, and police in London described an organization with links to the Russian state using proxies, in this instance British men.
DR also points to 2024 reporting by American and Western intelligence sources on a plan to kill Armin Papperger, chief executive of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. The company is one of Ukraine’s largest suppliers of military equipment, ammunition and combat vehicles. According to DR, the United States warned German authorities, and Papperger’s personal protection was significantly tightened.
The plan was described at the time as part of a broader Russian campaign aimed at leaders in the European defense industry supporting Ukraine, DR reports. Denmark has recorded its own incidents involving drones and Russian military activity in recent years.
