Two drones were observed flying over a German military base in the western part of the country earlier this week, an occurrence that followed the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at a major cargo airport just two days prior, the German Armed Forces announced Saturday.
Security surveillance at the Bundeswehr base in Mechernich detected the two drones around 10 p.m. on Thursday, according to a statement from the German Joint Force Command. Military police were dispatched to the site, and the sightings were confirmed. The Euskirchen police department has initiated an investigation into the matter, though additional details were not immediately released by either the police or the military.
This latest incident comes after a drone packed with explosives was found at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport shortly before midnight on Tuesday. Although the device was successfully defused, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the event as representing a "new quality of danger."
Leipzig/Halle Airport is a significant hub for international freight and plays a role in supporting Ukraine. It is frequented by Ukrainian Antonov transport aircraft and is also home to NATO’s Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS). SALIS is actively engaged in delivering equipment to NATO battle groups along its eastern flank and supporting European Union and alliance nation missions.
In a separate event in 2024, an incendiary device caused a fire in a freight container at a logistics center at the same airport. Western security officials have attributed this plot to Russian intelligence.
Western officials have frequently accused Russia and its associated groups of orchestrating numerous attacks and disruptive incidents across Europe since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine over four years ago. In response to the Leipzig drone incident, the Russian Embassy in Germany stated on Friday that it was part of a "new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany."