German police said a drone carrying an improvised explosive device was found at Leipzig Halle airport, one of Europe’s main bases for Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes. The drone was detected in the cargo security area near the south runway on 4‑5 August 2026. Bomb disposal units removed a detonator before the device could detonate.

A transport plane collided after take‑off with another flying object, suspected to be a second drone, the Dresden public prosecutor said. Minor damage was sustained, and the plane landed safely in Hanover. The second drone remains missing, but investigators suspect a coordinated attack.

Security agencies are interrogating operators and linking the incident to Russia, which intelligence agencies say has conducted several airport incursions in the past two years. Although work is early and no concrete evidence exists, the event is treated as a national security threat and an escalation of drone warfare.

Drone attacks are notoriously hard to detect and attribute; even large drones evade most commercial radar. Previous 2024 incidents involved incendiary devices delivered in parcels. Leipzig, which handles just over 2mn passengers annually, suffered flight disruptions that continued into Wednesday, highlighting the airport’s dual civilian and military role.