German authorities are investigating two "very serious security incidents" at the Leipzig/Halle airport that temporarily suspended and diverted flights, raising suspicions of Russian involvement following similar incidents in recent years.
The Leipzig Police Directorate said in a statement that late on August 4, "an unidentified flying object" was sighted near the airport, prompting the diversion of several aircraft, including a passenger plane, to other airports.
A drone carrying a "suspicious object" was also discovered in the vicinity of one of the two main runways.
The Dresden Public Prosecutor's Office and the Saxony State Criminal Police Office, which are leading the investigation, said the drone discovered on the runway was carrying "an unknown explosive device."
"With the support of the Federal Police and a bomb disposal robot, the object was examined. The Federal Police's IED unit removed the detonator," it said.
Operations on the airport's north runway resumed early on August 5, but the south runway, where the object on the ground was found, remains closed as police investigate, authorities said.
"The incidents at Leipzig Airport constitute a very serious security incident," Minister of State for the Interior Armin Schuster said in a separate statement.
Reuters quoted a source on August 5 as saying a DHL cargo aircraft collided midair with an unknown object shortly after take-off from Leipzig/Halle airport, prompting an immediate unscheduled landing in Hanover.
Several German media outlets, including Bild, reported that the drone was discovered in the immediate vicinity of a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft.
Video footage broadcast by several German media outlets showed the plane on the runway with emergency vehicles next to it.
A NATO official told RFE/RL that the military alliance could not confirm reports that a drone was sighted near a Ukrainian plane at the Leipzig/Halle airport. The official said NATO was aware of the Leipzig Police Directorate statement but that it was up to German authorities to confirm any details of the incident.
The Leipzig/Halle airport is a major logistical hub for DHL, a German-owned international shipping giant.
DHL Crash
A DHL plane crashed near Vilnius in November 2024, killing the jet's Spanish pilot and injuring another Spanish crew member, a German, and a Lithuanian.
The crash came amid concerns among Western security officials that Russian intelligence is preparing acts of sabotage targeting Western cargo aircraft, though officials have said so far they have no evidence of a link.
In November 2025, the Safety Investigation Division of Lithuania's Justice Ministry said a report into the incident is expected in the coming months.
In July 2024, there were a series of fires at courier companies in Poland, the United Kingdom, and at the DHL freight center at the Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Lithuanian authorities have alleged the actions were organized and coordinated by people with links to Russia's military intelligence service. Moscow has denied any involvement in the incidents.
At a trial in Lithuania earlier this week, a DHL company representative told the court that the parcel caught fire on the ground at the logistics center shortly before loading, rather than during the flight, because the plane was delayed.
Five suspects are on trial in the case. The men, aged between 23 and 69, are accused of terrorist acts and forming an organized terrorist association. Lithuanian investigators allege the five were recruited by Russian agents to help deliver the packages to various locations for DHL to ship.
