Drone With Detonator Found Near Ukrainian Plane at Leipzig Airport

A drone carrying a package with a detonator was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport shortly before midnight on Tuesday, triggering a security lockdown, German tabloid Bild reported on Wednesday, Aug. 5.According to Bild, the drone was found on the ground on the airport’s apron in the immediate vicinity of a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. Investigators classified the device as a potential explosive.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Bomb disposal teams deployedFederal police sent bomb disposal specialists to the scene and planned to conduct a controlled detonation of the unknown package with the detonator. A remote-controlled bomb disposal robot was deployed, though it remains unclear whether the detonation was carried out.Airport spokesperson Maret Montavon told Bild that the cargo area is physically separated from the apron used by passenger aircraft.Cargo plane collides with unknown objectFlight operations were immediately suspended and air traffic was rerouted. One cargo plane had to abort its landing approach.According to Bild, the aircraft later collided with an unknown object approximately 6 km (3.7 miles) from the airport at an altitude of 400 meters (1,300 feet). The plane landed in Hanover, where minor damage was found on its front section.Sabotage not ruled outPolice in Lower Saxony classified the incident as a state security matter. A possible sabotage attack has not been ruled out.Both Lower Saxony and Saxony police are conducting parallel investigations. The search for the drone operator has so far been unsuccessful. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Strikes Wildberries Warehouse in Russia, Putting 8th Major Logistics Hub Out of Action The Tula warehouse is among the retailer’s largest facilities, covering about 150,000 square meters. Airport reopened after two-hour shutdownFlight operations were suspended until 1:55 a.m. A passenger plane arriving from Mallorca was diverted to Nuremberg before returning to Leipzig at 3:35 a.m., Montavon told Bild.The airport’s south runway remained closed for investigations on Wednesday morning, but flight operations were running smoothly otherwise, police said. The airport itself was not shut down, and there was no danger to the public. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.