German investigators suspect the Russian Oleg Le. and the Belarusian citizen Andrei Ka. of preparing an attack with explosive-laden drones on Leipzig Airport. According to the investigation, Oleg Le. was responsible for preparing and logistics of the operation and was linked to Russian military intelligence.
Oleg Le. flew to Germany via Berlin Brandenburg Airport from Turkey, and later departed from there to Serbia; he is currently in Russia. By the time he entered, German security services already knew that the Russian was considered part of the GRU circle, but no surveillance was established on him.
Investigators identified Andrei Ka. from the remains of a glove with traces of DNA found on an antenna structure that, according to the authorities, was used to control the drone. These same traces were previously recorded in Finland and Lithuania, where Ka. appears in materials on common criminal offenses, and in Finland — including in connection with theft.
Polish authorities also link Ka. to a fire at a building supply store in Łódź in the summer of 2024. The Polish prosecutor's office classified that fire as sabotage, and the investigation stated that there was a Russian connection; German investigators consider Ka.'s appearance in the case of the attack in Leipzig to be another sign of possible operation control by Russian structures.
According to the investigation, the explosives were brought into Germany via Bulgaria and Serbia. They could have been transported in hidden cavities in trucks and then concealed in caches in the ground; police discovered several such caches in the area around the airport after analyzing data from a car rented by the suspects. In total, about 1.8 kg of Semtex was allegedly prepared for the attack.
One of the drones reached the Ukrainian transport aircraft, which was fueled with approximately 25,000 liters of kerosene, but did not explode: the detonator broke off the device. Investigators believe that, in the event of an explosion, part of the airport could have been destroyed.
The attack took place on the evening of August 4: a drone with explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian transport aircraft and neutralized, and two more devices were found in the airport area. In early September, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt publicly blamed Russia for the attack; Moscow denies involvement.
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