A security expert has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be "ready to shoot down passenger jets in Europe" with his drones, following a security scare at a German airport.
On Tuesday night, a suspected device was found near a parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport, leading to the closure of the southern runway while bomb disposal teams assessed the threat. German authorities reportedly classified the drone as a possible explosive device after it was found carrying an unknown substance and what was believed to be a detonator.
Security expert raises alarm
Security expert Will Geddes told The Sun that the incident posed a risk to commercial airports. "The economic impact is significant as anybody would imagine, but [the drones] being used as a delivery device for malintent, it is a huge concern," Mr Geddes added.
Local police said they were treating the incident as a state security matter.
Ukraine's drone campaign
Earlier this week, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack across Russia, using long-range strike drones to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. Recently, Ukraine has been targeting oil refineries and other key infrastructure, including logistic hubs operated by Wildberries, a Russian company similar to Amazon.
Leningrad Oblast governor Alexander Drozdenko said drones struck one of the company's warehouses in the Krasny Bor region, and Wildberries confirmed that its facility had been struck.
Escalating attacks
The Ukrainian air force said Russia attacked using 181 long-range drone strikes from Sunday to Monday. Other reports said five people were killed and six were injured in attacks within another industrial zone in Novosyolki.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that the country is using its long-range strike drones to hit targets deep inside Russia in an effort to push Putin into seeking a peace settlement.
