German prosecutors open new investigation after drone wreckage found near military base, echoing Leipzig incident

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation after parts of a drone were found near the Wunstorf Air Base in Lower Saxony, Bild reports. German media outlet NDR, citing law enforcement sources, has reported that the drone found near Wunstorf is the same model as the UAV that was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 5. The outlet notes that this kind of design cannot be bought in a store, and that one of the drone’s components was 3D-printed — just as in the Leipzig case.

According to Bild, Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the investigation into the incident around Wunstorf due to the possible link to the Leipzig incident. On Sept. 1, the German government officially accused Russia of a hybrid attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. At a press conference, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that, in response to Russia’s actions, Germany is closing the Russian House in Berlin and the Russian Consulate General in Bonn.

Russia, for its part, withdrew its consent for the operation of Germany’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg and demanded that the German Goethe-Institut cultural centers in the country cease operations.

German investigators later identified two suspects in the Leipzig/Halle Airport sabotage: Russian national Oleg L. and Belarusian national Andrei K. According to Welt am Sonntag, Oleg L., who was responsible for planning and logistics, is linked to Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

A day earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk asserted that Russia is planning “hybrid” drone and missile strikes on countries that support Ukraine — including NATO member Poland itself. The war, he said, is entering its most critical phase.