Armed drone found at German airport near Ukrainian jet traced to Russia

Suspicious drones spotted 144 times across 13 countries, report finds

The explosive-laden drone was found on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany on Tuesday night, positioned in a secure area near a Ukrainian cargo jet. The discovery prompted the airport to shut down for the night. U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports about the incident said the drone likely belongs to the Russian government.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Wednesday that while drone sightings near airports were not new, finding one armed with explosives represented “a new threat scenario.” Dobrindt said the investigation would assess whether foreign powers were involved. He did not name Russia as a possible culprit.

Authorities also are looking into a second unidentified object that collided with a cargo plane after the aircraft aborted its landing at Leipzig due to the closure. The plane suffered minor damage and landed safely at a nearby airport.

German publications have reported that the drone’s detonator failed.

The incident follows a series of suspected Russian operations targeting European infrastructure. Western security officials have said they suspect Moscow is behind many recent efforts to disrupt and attack European infrastructure. U.S. and European leaders increasingly see signs of Russia conducting probing attacks to test NATO’s resolve, including Russian cruise missiles that have landed in Poland and drones flown into Romania.

Suspicious drones were spotted at least 144 times across 13 countries between August 2024 and February 2026, according to a report from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The threat to European aviation is rising, according to analysts.

The discovery comes as U.S. intelligence has found that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses an increased threat to NATO’s eastern flank. New U.S. intelligence assessments envision scenarios ranging from a cyberattack to a small-scale land incursion in which Putin could attempt to test NATO’s resolve with a limited assault on an allied country in the coming years, the Journal has reported.

The heightened threat comes amid concern about shortfalls in critical U.S. weapons that the military would need to confront Russia or China in a potential future war. Weapons transfers to Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, and most recently expenditures in the conflict with Iran, have drained U.S. stockpiles, the Journal has reported. U.S. stockpiles of long-range Precision Strike Missiles and Army Tactical Missile Systems, as well as short-range Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are severely depleted, officials have said. Stores of Patriot, SM-3 and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors, as well as THAAD radars and air defense artillery units, are also low, the officials added.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said this week that the U.S. military had “more than enough” munitions to “serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals.”

The Russian Embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.