Police are investigating an attempt to breach the perimeter of Leipzig-Halle airport (LEJ), in Germany, official sources reported on October 18, 2026.
According to these reports, a car appears to have rammed through one of the fences protecting the airport perimeter during the night of October 17 to 18, 2026, and driven a few meters inside before fleeing the scene.
The incident happened in an area which is relatively close to where several impounded Russian cargo aircraft have been stationed since February 2022.
At least three Antonov An-124 cargo planes, belonging to Russian air freight operator Volga-Dnepr Group, have been grounded at Leipzig-Halle airport since the start of the war in Ukraine, when the European Union closed its airspace to Russian aircraft.
Leipzig-Halle International Airport is one of Europe’s largest air cargo hubs and has played a key role in channeling supplies for Ukraine throughout the war.
In August 2026, the airport was at the center of another security incident, when a drone fitted with explosives was detected within its perimeter in the vicinity of Ukrainian cargo aircraft. That same night, a cargo aircraft operated by DHL was reported to have collided with another small drone. Parts of a third drone were later found in a forest near the airport.
German authorities attributed this attempted attack to Russia, consequently ordering the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and Russia House in Berlin.
As of October 19, 2026, there is no official attribution of the attempted break-in at Leipzig Airport and no suspects have been apprehended.