Antonov An-124 Ruslan nearly hit by explosives drone at Leipzig Airport

Drone incident at Leipzig Airport

A Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan came close to being struck by a drone following a failed terrorist attack attempt.

The aircraft, operated by Antonov Airlines (a subsidiary of the Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov), was parked at Leipzig Airport in the German state of Saxony. At around 23:40 on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, a drone was seen approaching the airport, and several aircraft on approach were diverted to other cities.

While the explosives-laden drone found near the Antonov was being secured, a DHL Boeing struck an unidentified object-possibly another drone-during a go-around at the same Leipzig airport.

Explosives found near the Antonov An-124 Ruslan

Shortly afterwards, the drone was discovered after landing on the apron. It was then confirmed to be carrying explosives, prompting Saxony Police to call in their bomb disposal (EOD) team to cordon off the area and neutralise the device using a robot. Once the explosive material had been rendered safe, operations at Leipzig resumed at 01:55 in the early hours of Wednesday.

Initial reports indicate the drone carried 800 grams of explosive, made up of PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) and nitroamine, in a composition said to be very close to the type of bomb known as Semtex. This was the same type of explosive used to bring down the Boeing 747-100 operating Pan Am Flight 103, in the event globally known as the "Lockerbie bombing", which has been turned into an acclaimed BBC series now available on Netflix.

Political reaction and suspected motives

Burkhard Jung, the Mayor of Leipzig, said that “the threat situation in Germany has reached a new level. A drone carrying explosives is a clear indication that our security is at risk. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident at Leipzig Airport, but we cannot rely on luck. Our infrastructure has been a target for some time, and we must protect ourselves better. The security of our transport links is vital. The federal and state governments must take this much more seriously, including more investment“.

It is still not clear who was behind the attempted terrorist attack. However, because Leipzig has been the new home of Antonov Airlines since Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine in 2022, suspicion naturally arises that the drone may have been launched by an organisation linked to Moscow-which previously destroyed the world’s largest aircraft, the An-225, during the attempted seizure of Hostomel Airport in Kyiv, and has also downed two other commercial aircraft since 2014, resulting in the deaths of 336 civilians.