Germany has accused Russia of being involved in the foiled drone attack targeting a busy airport in Leipzig last month, the country’s interior minister said Tuesday.

The US previously assessed that an explosive-laden drone discovered at the airport in east Germany belonged to a Russian intelligence service, a US defense official in Europe told CNN.

The incident caused major disruptions and sparked security concerns across Europe. According to German authorities at the time, the drone was discovered inside a secure area of the Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 5. The US defense official told CNN the drone was carrying military-grade explosives.

The same day, a second flying object hit a cargo plane near the airport, causing minor damage. The aircraft later landed safely in Hannover.

 

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the time that the incident represented a serious escalation. “Drone sightings, drone threats including in a hybrid context, are something we know from the past. That a drone armed with explosives is at an airport is a new threat scenario,” he said.

German media also recently reported that a third drone was found in a field near the airport about a week after incidents, prompting speculation that multiple drones were meant to be used in the attack. The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the case, declined to comment when contacted by CNN, citing an ongoing investigation.

Leipzig/Halle, one of the busiest cargo airports in Europe, has been the base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines cargo airline since Russia destroyed its home base in the town of Hostomel, northwest of Kyiv, in the early days of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The explosives-laden drone was found near one of the Ukrainian aircraft at the airport.

Hybrid warfare

Western intelligence services have repeatedly pointed fingers at Russia over a series of seemingly unrelated security incidents across Europe. These have included arson, high-profile hacks, GPS jamming as well as sabotage actions against key infrastructure, including undersea communication cables, logistics centers and railways.

The US has warned that Russia might escalate further. Recent US intelligence assessments indicate Russian President Vladimir Putin could try to test NATO’s resolve by launching a limited attack on an allied country within the next few years, according to three sources familiar with those reports.