US intelligence believes explosives-equipped drone at German airport likely belongs to Moscow, WSJ reports

A drone carrying explosives found at the Leipzig airport in Germany likely belongs to Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 7, citing U.S. intelligence.

The details come a few days after a Ukrainian cargo plane loaded with ammunition was targeted by a drone carrying explosives at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport late on Aug. 4, German media reported.

Flights at the airport were suspended overnight on Aug. 5 after a "modified drone" was sighted and later found next to a Ukrainian Antonov Airlines An-124 transport aircraft, and a second "unidentified flying object" collided with an incoming DHL cargo plane.

The authorities are still investigating the second drone that collided with the plane, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The news comes as U.S. intelligence reports raised renewed alarms that Russian President Vladimir Putin could provoke a NATO nation with a limited attack as early as this fall, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the Journal, officials in Washington previously believed that an attack on a NATO ally would not occur amid Russia's preoccupation with its war in Ukraine. The newfound belief by U.S. intelligence matches a chorus of similar warnings made by European officials in recent months.

Citing police reports, Suddeutsche Zeitung said the Antonov Airlines plane had been transporting an unspecified type of military ammunition from France to Leipzig, which was still onboard when the drone was found.

The outlet also said the drone was carrying Semtex, a military-grade explosive. Those behind the attempted attack are yet to be identified.

Speaking on Aug. 5, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a "hybrid attack scenario." He did not name Russia, but the Kremlin has been waging a hybrid war aimed at destabilizing European countries for several years.

"Drone threats, including hybrid threats, are something we are familiar with from the past. However, the fact that a drone — armed with explosives — is on airport property is a new threat scenario," he said.

Suspected Russian-linked drone incidents have repeatedly disrupted airports across Europe, causing flight suspensions and diversions.

Leipzig/Halle Airport has served as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines since shortly after the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion. According to the German outlet Bild, four Ukrainian cargo aircraft were present during the suspected attack.