Explosives in Leipzig airport drone incident were hidden in a can of corn, investigation reveals
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A drone collided with the wing of a Ukrainian plane at the Leipzig airport (Photo: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt)
The explosives used on the drone discovered near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft at the Leipzig airport were hidden in a can, which Polish authorities have linked to a larger cache of similar containers smuggled into Poland by Russian intelligence agents, RMF24 reported on August 12.
The outlet stated that Polish authorities have spent two years searching for explosive-filled containers brought into Poland by a courier operating on behalf of Russia's military intelligence service. Investigators identified the courier as a 27-year-old Ukrainian citizen residing in Katowice, who was recruited by Russian intelligence via the Telegram messaging app.
Investigative findings revealed the operative was instructed to retrieve two cans of corn from a Lithuanian cemetery and hide them near the A2 highway near Zgierz, Poland. The courier also transported drone components and SIM cards, and dispatched parcels containing massage pillows and cosmetics that concealed detonators and flammable substances.
Days after these packages were mailed, a series of fires erupted across Europe, hitting a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, the Leipzig airport, and a transport hub near Warsaw.
Lithuanian authorities later uncovered more identical containers at the cemetery, confirming they contained powerful explosives instead of corn. A similar can was attached to the drone discovered near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane at Leipzig Airport.
"We are awaiting official confirmation, but we cannot rule out the possibility that one of the missing cans has just been found," said a source close to the investigation into the Russian sabotage network.
New investigative evidence from the Leipzig Airport incident indicates that a drone crashed into the wing of a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft but failed to detonate.
The Leipzig airport drone incident
A drone fitted with a detonator and explosive material was found overnight on August 5 at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, which has served as a base for Ukrainian Antonov aircraft since 2022. The drone was discovered on a runway near a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan cargo plane.
Flights were diverted because of the incident. One DHL cargo aircraft delayed its landing and made an additional circuit after colliding in the air with an unidentified object that may have been another drone, pilots later confirmed.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on August 6 that the incident did not appear to be the work of amateurs and that a foreign state could have been involved.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said no one was injured and that aircraft operated by Ukrainian company Antonov were not damaged.
Media reports said the drone had been found near an An-124 loaded with ammunition, but Germany’s Interior Ministry denied that claim.
U.S. officials familiar with intelligence assessments of the incident told The Wall Street Journal that the explosive-laden drone was likely linked to the Russian government.
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