Germany identifies Leipzig drone attack suspects, one linked to Russian intelligence
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Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes and a DHL aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, on Aug. 5, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)
Explosives intended for the drone
attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport were concealed in a vegetable can, and
detonation was avoided only because the detonator connection broke, Welt am
Sonntag reported,
citing investigation materials reviewed by its journalists.
The attack was carried out on the evening of Aug. 4 with
three drones. Two were destroyed during launch for reasons that remain unclear,
while the third reached a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft but did not detonate.
Investigators found that the drone carried about 1.8
kilograms of Semtex concealed in a vegetable can. Detonation was avoided only
because the detonator connection broke. Investigators believe the explosion
could have destroyed part of the airport because the aircraft had been fueled
with about 25,000 liters of kerosene at the time of the attack.
German security services have identified with a high degree
of confidence two people involved in preparing the attack, Welt am Sonntag
reported: Belarusian citizen Andrii Ka. and Russian citizen Oleh Le.
Investigators believe Le. was responsible for the operation’s logistics and
consider him part of Russia’s military intelligence network, the Main
Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, or GRU.
Le. entered Germany from Türkiye through Berlin Brandenburg
Airport and left the same way for Serbia before returning to Russia.
Investigators were already aware of his possible ties to the GRU when he
entered Germany, but he was not placed under surveillance.
Welt reported that DNA testing of gloves found near an
antenna used to control the drone led investigators to the suspects. The same
DNA traces had previously been recorded in Finland and Lithuania, where Ka. has
appeared in ordinary criminal cases.
Polish prosecutors have also linked him to the arson of a
home improvement store in Lodz in the summer of 2024. The case was classified
as sabotage with links to Russia.
Investigators believe the explosives were brought into
Germany through Bulgaria and Serbia, concealed in cavities within trucks and
later buried in ground caches. Police found several such caches near the
airport after analyzing data from a car rented by the suspects.
Russia’s attempted terrorist attack at Leipzig airport
Overnight into Aug. 5, a drone carrying a detonator and explosives
was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport, where Ukrainian Antonov aircraft have been
based since 2022. The drone was on the runway near a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan
cargo aircraft.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the time
that a foreign state could have been involved in the drone incident. Ukraine’s
Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 6 that no one was injured at Leipzig airport and
that Antonov
aircraft were not damaged.
Germany formally
accused Russia on Sept. 1 of attempting a terrorist attack at Leipzig
airport. Deutsche Welle reported the next day that Germany had closed the Russian
Consulate General in Bonn after the incident.
Also on Sept. 2, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that German
investigators had identified two men suspected of trying to attack
Ukrainian aircraft with drones — a Russian-born man with a Latvian passport and
a Belarusian-born man with a Russian passport. The next day, the same
newspaper, citing a report by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, said
Germany had recorded more than 165 suspected acts of sabotage since the start
of 2026, along with hundreds of incidents involving suspicious drones near
military facilities and critical infrastructure.
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