Germany blames Russia for attempted drone attack on Ukrainian cargo plane

Germany has formally accused Russia of orchestrating an attempted attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport, describing the incident as a dangerous escalation of Moscow’s hybrid campaign in Europe. An explosives-laden drone flew into the wing of a parked Antonov An-124 on Aug. 4 but failed to detonate, narrowly avoiding what German officials said could have been a catastrophe. The device, reportedly carrying approximately 600 grams of explosives, was recovered inside the airport’s secured area and disabled by bomb technicians.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said investigators concluded that the Russian state supplied the technical knowledge and equipment for the attack while recruiting lower-level agents to carry it out. Leipzig/Halle is one of Europe’s largest cargo airports, serves as Antonov Airlines’ principal European base and supports logistics operations connected to Ukraine and NATO. German officials characterized the operation as an attempt to damage Ukraine’s supply network while intimidating Berlin over its continued military support for Kyiv.

Germany summoned the Russian ambassador and announced plans to close Russia’s consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in Berlin. Berlin also intends to tighten entry restrictions on Russian nationals, pursue vessels associated with Russia’s sanctions-evading “shadow fleet” and support additional European Union sanctions. Russia denied responsibility, calling the allegations baseless and warning of consequences, while NATO and European Union leaders expressed solidarity with Germany.