Germany considers Ukraine as possible organizer of drone attack on An-124 in Leipzig

German investigators are working through two main theories regarding the drone attack on a Ukrainian military transport aircraft, the An-124 Ruslan, at Leipzig airport — including the theory that Ukraine itself was responsible.

This was reported by the newspaper Die Zeit, citing sources.

According to the first theory, Ukraine may be behind the attack. The publication presents the following logic: Ukraine is well versed in drones and may have had an interest in a false-flag operation — that is, an attack designed to look like a Russian one, in order to encourage German society to participate even more actively in the fight against Russia.

The second theory being examined by experts at the German Interior Ministry is that Russia is responsible.

Die Zeit itself, expressing its own position, considers Ukrainian involvement less likely. The editors point out that a successful attack could have had unpredictable consequences for Kyiv itself — in particular, a rise in anti-war sentiment in Germany. In addition, the current German government is, in the publication’s assessment, already helping Ukraine to the maximum extent possible.

According to Die Zeit, a drone carrying explosives struck the Ukrainian An-124, which was transporting military cargo, but did not explode and instead bounced off the side of the aircraft. It was previously reported that a drone had been spotted near the Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig airport with an unidentified mass and a detonator attached to it.

Subsequently, a number of media outlets reported that the An-124 had been loaded with ammunition. However, Germany’s Interior Ministry denied this information.