Drones spotted over German base days after Leipzig bomb incident

Published 34 minutes ago

Two drones were spotted over a military base in western Germany just days after an explosive‑laden device was found at Leipzig airport.

Germany's armed forces (Bundeswehr) confirmed the drones were seen on Thursday evening at a base in Mechernich, near Bonn, which stores parts for U.S.‑made Patriot air‑defence systems.

A Bundeswehr Joint Force Command spokeswoman said military police were deployed to the site before the matter was handed over to local police.

This marks another instance of drones being sighted close to military bases or airports in European nations that back Ukraine in its war with Russia, on which suspicion has fallen. Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the Bild newspaper that Germany has become a regular target of “destabilising” attacks.

“We’re not at war, but we are the daily target of hybrid warfare,” he remarked.

Germany is investigating how an explosive‑laden drone accessed the runway at Leipzig/Halle airport, a NATO airfield that also hosts Ukrainian aviation assets.

The Bundeswehr declined to comment on the ongoing investigation when asked by the BBC about the suspected origins of the drones seen above Mechernich, and local police were contacted for remarks.

German media report that the base contains a storage facility for Patriot missile components essential for Ukraine’s missile defence since Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned allies for further supplies, noting a shortage of interceptor missiles.

After briefly offering Ukraine a licence to produce Patriots in early July, U.S. President Donald Trump last week denied any such agreement.

Last year’s spike in European drone sightings prompted the EU to discuss a continent‑wide “drone wall” of air defenses, while many officials blame Russia for the incidents, a claim Moscow calls absurd.