Another Putin hybrid attack? Major power plant 'is hit with home-made explosive rockets' as Germany blames Russia for airport drone bombs

A major power plant in Germany was today targeted with 'homemade explosive rockets', as Berlin was due to formally blame Russia for an incident involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig Airport last month.Local media reported that a key installation near the Janschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg was repeatedly targeted with rockets this morning, while emergency services discovered and defused additional devices.Police have not yet confirmed that the site was attacked with rockets. Speaking to the German Press Agency, they said that possible damage to a power line had been discovered and bomb disposal experts were at the scene.They added that several improvised explosive and incendiary devices were also discovered after a possible property damage incident earlier today.Police said there was no danger to the public and that the incident did not cause a power outage.In a statement released Tuesday, power plant operator LEAG confirmed: 'This morning, September 1, 2026, unknown perpetrators allegedly caused damage to several lines in the 50Hertz transmission network.' The Janschwalde lignite-fired power plant is the largest in Brandenburg.It comes as Berlin is set to formally blame Russia today for an incident involving an explosive-laden drone at a strategic airport last month. The Janschwalde lignite-fired power plant is the largest in Brandenburg (File picture) An explosive-disposal robot is being deployed near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig/Halle AirportForeign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt are expected to address the media later in the day, according to Bild daily, news site Der Spiegel and other media.Nato member Germany, which supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia, has long accused Moscow of targeting it with a campaign of hybrid attacks involving espionage and sabotage - charges denied by Russia.Germany has for months reported suspicious drone sightings over military and industrial sites, but the Leipzig incident on the night of August 4 raised the alarm as a drone found there carried explosives.Police used a robot to defuse the device found near a Ukrainian cargo plane, and another drone was reportedly found weeks later near the airport, also with traces of an explosive substance.The airport in eastern Germany plays a key role in the transport of military goods, including by the German military and Nato allies, and also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.Chancellor Friedrich Merz later said Germany had increasingly 'found itself in the crosshairs of hybrid attackers'.But Berlin has so far refrained from blaming Russia while speaking only of the possible involvement of 'foreign powers'.Tuesday's media reports said Berlin would now point the finger at a Russian intelligence agency.Merz had warned on August 25 that the perpetrators of hybrid attacks against Germany would 'pay for them', without naming a target.Der Spiegel said possible countermeasures could include the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the closure of Russia's consulate in Bonn. The empennages of a DHL cargo plane and Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes at Leipzig/Halle Airport The Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin, a seven-story building opened in 1984 in what was then East Berlin, is located near the Russian embassyThere has also been much discussion of whether Germany should shut down a Russian cultural centre in Berlin that security services believe is an intelligence hub.The Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin, a seven-story building opened in 1984 in what was then East Berlin, is located near the Russian embassy.Conservative lawmaker and security policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter recently told Welt TV that the facility is assumed to be a hub for espionage.He said more than 100 people lived there 'with no one knowing who they are' and the building's power consumption is disproportionately high.It was 'presumably filled with technical surveillance equipment', he said, and used by 'people who are not well-disposed toward Germany'.Moscow has already been accused of waging a shadow war across Europe through sabotage, cyber attacks, drones, disinformation and intimidation – tactics designed to cause disruption while staying below the threshold for a military response.Russian cyber units have targeted critical systems including power plants since at least the mid-2010s.On the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a cyber attack against the Viasat satellite internet system caused outages across central and eastern Europe. The EU, US and UK later condemned the attack as Russian.Nordic and Baltic countries have also recently reported increased GPS jamming and spoofing since 2022, affecting civilian aircraft, ships and drones.