Drones spotted over German base days after explosive found at Leipzig airport

German authorities are investigating after two drones were sighted flying over a Bundeswehr base in Mechernich, western Germany, late Thursday evening. The German Joint Force Command confirmed the sightings, which occurred around 10 p.m., and said military police were deployed to the site. The Euskirchen police department has opened an investigation into the incident.

The sighting comes just two days after security personnel at Leipzig/Halle Airport discovered a drone carrying explosives near the facility shortly before midnight on Tuesday. The device was safely defused. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as representing a "new quality of danger."

Leipzig/Halle is a significant hub for international freight and plays a key role in logistical support for Ukraine, regularly handling Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft. The airport also hosts NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS), which operates almost daily to deliver equipment to alliance battle groups along the eastern flank.

The airport has previously been a target of suspected sabotage. In 2024, an incendiary device ignited at a logistics center there, setting fire to a freight container — an attack Western security officials suspect was orchestrated by Russian intelligence. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging numerous such incidents across Europe since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began over four years ago.

The Russian Embassy in Germany dismissed the Leipzig drone discovery on Friday as part of a "new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany."