Germany investigates possible Russian link in drone incident near Ukrainian aircraft
Photo: An An-124 cargo aircraft (Getty Images)
German investigators are examining possible Russian involvement in an incident involving a drone that was found near a Ukrainian Antonov aircraft at Leipzig Airport, according to The Guardian.
German authorities are continuing to investigate an incident at Leipzig Airport, where a drone carrying an explosive device was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft on Wednesday night.
According to Die Zeit, investigators are considering several possible scenarios, including a potential Russian attempt to target Ukrainian equipment on German soil. The case is therefore being handled by the anti-terrorism unit of the Dresden prosecutor's office and the Saxony state police.
During the same incident, a DHL cargo plane reportedly collided with another unidentified object after takeoff. The aircraft landed safely in Hanover, where minor damage was found.
"A suspected second unidentified flying object collided with a cargo aircraft after it had taken off again following the previous closure of the runway. Minor damage was detected on the aircraft after it landed in Hanover," investigators said.
A NATO spokesperson confirmed that the Alliance is aware of the incident and is monitoring the investigation.
What is being said about possible Russian involvement
Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, suggested that Moscow may be behind the incident.
"Who else could it be but Russia?" he told Welt TV.
However, no official evidence linking Russia to the incident has been made public, and the Kremlin has not commented on the matter.
Members of the German parliament have also not ruled out Russian involvement.
Mark Henrichmann, chairman of the German parliament's intelligence oversight committee from the CDU, said the incident may have been directed against a company that is important to Ukraine. According to him, if a Russian connection is confirmed, it would represent "a new level of escalation."
"Should it transpire that a state is behind this action, this would constitute not merely terrorism but state terrorism directed against the federal republic of Germany and its citizens," Konstantin von Notz, the Green Party's intelligence oversight spokesperson, told Der Spiegel.
As previously reported, operations at Leipzig Airport were temporarily suspended on the night of August 5 after a suspicious object was discovered near the runway close to a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft.
According to media reports, the object was a modified drone that may have been capable of carrying explosives. Several flights were diverted to other airports as a result of the incident.
