🔧 Sabotage

German security sources assess that GRU Head of Sabotage Operations Denis Smolyaninov is likely responsible for the attacks on Leipzig Airport, which German authorities have publicly attributed to Russia.

Leipzig, Ukraine
Verified Independently confirmed by 7 sources
Institute for the Study of War Meduza Ukrinform Kyiv Independent Kyiv Post UNIAN Censor.NET

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The German security services also reportedly assess that the GRU’s purported Head of Sabotage Operations, Denis Smolyaninov, is likely responsible for the attacks on Leipzig Airport on August 5, an incident that German authorities have publicly attributed to Russia.

Police have not ruled out a targeted act of sabotage.

A drone carrying approximately 1.8 kilograms of Semtex explosives crashed into the wing of a parked Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft.

From suspected sabotage at Germany's Leipzig Airport on Aug. 5...

The Leipzig incident on the night of August 4-5 raised the alarm as a drone found there carried explosives.

Police used a robot to defuse the device found near a Ukrainian cargo plane.

The drone with an explosive device found near a Ukrainian transport plane in Leipzig on August 5, 2026, is likely linked to Russian saboteurs.

The explosive device attached to the drone contained approximately 800 grams of Semtex and PETN.

The device failed to explode because the detonator was faulty.

A drone was discovered near a Ukrainian aircraft at the airport on the night of Wednesday, August 5. It was equipped with explosives and a detonator.

US intelligence believes that the explosive-laden drone discovered on the grounds of Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany likely belongs to Russia.

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Source story: russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-27-2026