A drone with a detonator was found next to a Ukrainian transport plane at Leipzig airport and was seized.
Dpa writes this, quoting a NATO spokesperson. According to information from security officials, there was explosive material on board the object, which however did not explode. Leipzig it is the main port of call in Germany on the route to Ukraine.
According to Bild, which first reported the news, the drone was spotted at 11.40pm near a Ukrainian Antonov. Explosive material with a trigger was fixed on board the flying object, as was subsequently ascertained by the investigations, and by tests which came back positive for nitrate. The bomb did not explode because the fuse was faulty, writes the tabloid which publishes exclusive images on the portal. The trigger had previously been “torn off”, Bild reports, and was then removed by the federal police. The object will not be shined, in order to conduct investigations on any traces. The inspections will be carried out by the Saxony security bodies but also by NATO investigators. The airport was closed to air traffic until 1.55 am. A plane coming from Mallorca was hijacked and was only able to land in the Saxony town at 3.35 in the morning.
According to Bild, a DHL plane collided at an altitude of 400 meters with an unidentified object late yesterday evening in the skies above Leipzig. The aircraft then landed safely in Hanover, where damage was detected on the front. Bild reports this after a drone with explosives was found in the same airport near a Ukrainian plane. It is not clear whether the events are related. The federal government, in a press conference, anticipated that “investigations are ongoing”.
One hypothesis is that it was a drone: the airport’s anti-drone defense had in fact identified 2 of them.
“The plane was supposed to land in Leipzig, but then had to abort the landing maneuver,” a spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry said at a press conference. “He then hit an object,” he added, specifying that he later landed safely in Hanover.
Russian raid on Kiev: at least 17 dead and 44 injured
Meanwhile, the provisional toll from the massive Russian attack on Kiev and the surrounding region is at least 17 dead and 44 injured. “Missile interception systems could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Ukrainian President Zelensky writes on X. “It is vital that our partners understand that delays in the provision of such systems, or reluctance to provide them, directly lead to such terrible human losses and destruction,” he adds.
Russia confirmed that it had carried out a “massive attack” overnight on Kiev and its region using missiles and drones, saying it had hit “transport, logistics and weapons distribution centres” facilities. The Ministry of Defense specifies that in Kiev, among other things, the MLP-Chaika logistics center, used for the storage and distribution of drones, and the Nova Poshta logistics center were hit. Three more such centers were hit in Brovary in the capital region. The Russian ministry adds that three cargo ships carrying weapons and military equipment for Kiev’s troops were bombed in the Black Sea south of Odessa.
“Russian occupation forces launched a missile attack on Kiev using ballistic weapons, and several explosions were heard in the city.” This was announced by the military administration of the Ukrainian capital (Kmva), quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. “An air alert was declared in Kiev due to the threat of the enemy’s use of ballistic weapons.” At least six powerful explosions were heard in the city. For several months, Ukraine and Russia have been intensifying their long-range attacks, resulting in an increasing number of casualties. The Ukrainian army has increased attacks against civilian targets – in particular oil and logistics facilities – in Russia and the occupied territories, while Russia continues its bombing of Ukrainian cities.
The mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, announced that the capital’s air defense system is currently in operation, after Russian forces attacked the city with ballistic missiles. “Air defense forces are operational in the capital and the surrounding region. More missiles are headed towards the city,” he wrote. Ukrainska Pravda reports it.
Russian forces struck the area of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Children’s Hospital. The attack damaged the facade of the hospital and shattered the windows but no casualties were reported. This was reported by the head of the regional military administration of Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov, reporting the attack on Telegram cited by Ukrinform. “Fortunately, when the air alert was given, all children and medical personnel were in shelters. There were no casualties,” he wrote The attack was carried out with a Russian Molniya drone. The explosion was heard in several neighborhoods of the city. In Zaporizhzhia the air raid alert remains in force.