US intelligence links drone at Leipzig airport to Russia – WSJ

The Wall Street Journal has reported that an explosive-laden drone found this week at Leipzig airport in Germany is believed to be linked to the Russian government.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, citing two US officials

Details: The drone was discovered on the evening of 4 August on the runway at Leipzig/Halle airport in eastern Germany in a high-security area near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft, forcing the airport to suspend operations for the night. The country's interior minister said the incident indicates a "new level of danger", pointing to a high-tech foreign actor as the potential culprit.

Authorities are also investigating a second unidentified object that collided with a cargo aircraft after the plane aborted its landing in Leipzig because the airport had been closed. The aircraft sustained minor damage and landed safely at a nearby airport.

Speculation about Russian involvement in the incident emerged amid US intelligence assessments that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin poses a heightened threat to NATO's eastern flank. According to new US intelligence reports, Putin could seek to test NATO's resolve by carrying out a limited attack on a member state within the next few years, The Wall Street Journal reports. The assessments consider scenarios ranging from a cyberattack to a small-scale ground invasion.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at Leipzig Airport on 5 August that while drone sightings near airports are not new, the discovery of a drone carrying explosives represents a new threat. Dobrindt said the investigation would establish whether foreign states were involved in the incident. German media outlets have reported that the drone's detonator failed to activate.

Dobrindt did not name Russia as a possible culprit. However, Western security officials have increasingly linked a series of attempts to disrupt or target European infrastructure to Moscow, saying Russia may be testing NATO's ability and willingness to respond. Similar incidents have included Russian cruise missiles entering Polish airspace and drones flying over Romania.

Analysts say the threat to European aviation is growing. Between August 2024 and February this year, suspicious drones were spotted at least 144 times in 13 countries, according to a report posted last month by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

One theory regarding the incident at Leipzig/Halle airport is that the drone spotted over the Ukrainian aircraft may have been knocked down by a bus driver.

It was previously reported that German authorities are preparing additional security measures at Leipzig airport after an explosive-laden drone was found near Ukrainian cargo aircraft involved in NATO airlift operations.

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