The explosive-laden drone found on Wednesday at Leipzig airport may not have exploded, but the fact that it managed to enter the perimeter, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, has raised clear concerns about the security of international aviation, writes the “Guardian” newspaper, BTA reported in the press review.
Although the origin of the device is unknown, initial evidence points strongly to a Russian-organized plot, the publication notes. This is the first time an explosive-laden drone has been found in Europe, far from the Ukrainian border.
Photos published in German newspapers show a quadcopter with a design familiar from the war in Ukraine, with a package attached. It is stationary a few meters from a Ukrainian cargo plane “Antonov” with easily recognizable yellow and blue markings.
Police in the German state of Saxony confirmed that the drone was “carrying an unidentified explosive device” and was found by an officer in the “secured cargo area” near the airport's southern runway.
German media noted that the attached bomb contained the powerful explosive PETN and the plastic explosive “Semtex” - the munition that exploded on the Pan Am plane over Lockerbie. But the bomb attached to the drone did not explode because the detonator was defective.
“The Guardian” quoted the local newspaper “Leipziger Volkszeitung“ as saying that police found up to 800 grams of explosives, which would have been “sufficient to cause significant damage“ to an aircraft.
Leipzig airport is a sensitive site - a European base for Ukrainian “Antonov” aircraft used for heavy cargo. The airport is also used by NATO and the German military for transport, as well as as a hub for the DHL company, and Ukrainian planes suggest it may have been a hub for deliveries to Kiev.
NATO laconically commented that it was aware of the incident, although it is obvious that the Western alliance did not seem to have been able to prevent the drones from passing through a strategic airport, notes the “Guardian”.
Lithuania fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a “false flag” strike against the Baltic states, following a series of recent drone incursions along Europe's eastern border, writes the British newspaper “Independent”.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said yesterday that his country believes that Moscow is considering using Ukrainian-made drones to carry out provocations against the region.
“Lithuanian intelligence is working, we are collecting information and monitoring”, he told journalists in Vilnius, adding that protection against attacks on critical infrastructure must be strengthened.
Kaunas indicated that the Lithuanian army and all security services are monitoring the situation, but assured that there is currently no existing “direct threat”.