German government blames Russia for attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport

Germany has blamed Russia for an attempted attack using an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport last month.

Local authorities found the drone near a Ukrainian plane at the airport on 4 August, and defused it after closing both runways.

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German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Tuesday that the attempted attack fitted a "broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations in Europe".

He said the German government "comes to the conclusion that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig".

He added that "we assume that Germany is ⁠the target ​of further hybrid attacks ​by Russia".

Mr Dobrindt said the device pointed to "a high degree of technical expertise", but the execution of the plan appears to have been left to "low-level" agents who "acted on behalf of Russian state entities", though he did not specify which ones.

Foreign minister Johann Wadephul said the Russian consulate in Bonn will be closed on 18 September and Germany will end its agreement with ​the Russian House cultural centre in ​Berlin.

Mr Wadephul also said he had summoned the Russian ambassador.

In response, ‌Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow will respond ‌to Germany's "anti-Russian actions".

She also told local newspaper Izvestia that evidence for Russia being behind the attempted attack "simply do not exist and cannot exist" and added: "The Russian House and our Consulate General in Bonn have long been a source of annoyance for the ruling elite."

NATO secretary general Mark Rutte said the alliance "stands in full solidarity with Germany" after a call with Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the incident.

"The evidence is clear", he added on X, "and I welcome the measures announced by Germany in response".

"NATO will continue to strengthen our ability to deter and defend all Allies against any threat - including malign actions like those seen in Leipzig and elsewhere across the Alliance."

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also said the UK supports Germany "following Russia's egregious and reckless attack", adding: "Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail.

"As I made clear in Kyiv last week, our commitment to supporting Ukraine from Russia's illegal invasion is ironclad."

Leipzig/Halle, a major hub for international freight, is regularly used by Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft and other flights supporting Kyiv.

It is also home to NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS), where it delivers equipment to NATO battle groups in areas like Finland and Romania.

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The airport has appeared to have been a target before. In 2024, an incendiary device ignited at a logistics centre at the airport and set fire to a freight container before it could be loaded on to a cargo plane.

Western security officials suspected that incident was organised by Russian intelligence.

Germany has been the target of several incidents which have prompted authorities to consider how better to protect its critical infrastructure against what officials describe as a growing threat from cyber and hybrid attacks.

The power grid in the eastern German state of Brandenburg was targeted by sabotage on Tuesday after unexploded incendiary devices damaged power lines, the state's interior minister said.

Jan Redman said rockets carrying conductive material were fired into extra-high-voltage lines, causing two short circuits, at the Turnow-Preilack substation - one of the region's most critical high-voltage nodes.

Authorities were searching the site, he added, noting the number of devices found was in the double digits.

He did not rule out the possibility foreign powers were behind the attack.

(c) Sky News 2026: German government blames Russia for attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport