Germany news: Officials deny reports of drone near munitions-laden plane
Skip next section Officials deny explosive drone was near plane carrying weapons for Ukraine, media report 08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 Officials deny explosive drone was
Skip next section Officials deny explosive drone was near plane carrying weapons for Ukraine, media report 08/06/2026 August 6, 2026 Officials deny explosive drone was near plane carrying weapons for Ukraine, media report The German Interior Ministry has denied reports that a drone carrying explosives was near a cargo aircraft packed with munitions destined for Ukraine, according to media reports. In a meeting of the heads of the Bundestag's committees for Defense and Interior Affairs, it was made clear that no weapons or other munitions were on the aircraft, according to the dpa news agency, which reported information matching an earlier article by the Focus news magazine (see earlier entry).
Detlef Seif, the chair of the Internal Affairs Committee, also rejected the reports, telling Reuters that from all the conversations he was party to so far, "the aircraft was not loaded with ammunition or weapons." Maret Montavon, head of communications and government relations at Mitteldeutsche Flughafen, which operates the airport in Leipzig, told the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung that there was no cargo on the aircraft. "The Antonov aircraft in question was empty at the time of the incident and, therefore, carried no cargo.
This assessment is consistent with the information we have received from Antonov Logistics SALIS," Montavon told the paper. The ministry has not responded to an official request for comment. Security sources have said a drone carrying explosives was located on Tuesday near a Ukrainian Antonov AN-124 Condor cargo aircraft. Federal Police defused the explosive device. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is inviting several European counterparts to a meeting following the incident, his ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The meeting will aim to coordinate a joint defense strategy to combat drones and to improve the protection of critical infrastructure.
The BriefWire