Ukraine-Russia war latest: Drone armed with explosives at Germany’s Leipzig airport represents ‘new threat’, minister warns - EUROPE SAYS
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Your support makes all the difference. Read moreThe discovery of an explosive-laden drone near a runway at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle airport reflects a “new threat” spilling over from theUkrainewar, German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said. Germany has opened a counterterrorism investigation after the drone was discovered by airport workers in a restricted cargo area near the southern runway. While Dobrindt did not directly blameRussiafor the incident, according to Bild the drone was found close to a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane. Flights were suspended and several aircraft, including some owned by German logistics firm DHL, were diverted. After the drone sparked the part closure of one of Europe’s biggest cargo hubs, Dobrindt said: “Drone sightings and drone threats in a hybrid context are something we have known from the past, but a drone armed with explosives being present on airport grounds is a new threat scenario. ”This comes asVolodymyr Zelenskyissued a fresh plea for help, telling allies that ballistic missile interceptors “could have saved the lives” of 17 people killed inKyivon Tuesday night. The president has urged Donald Trump and other partners to step up their support, as Russia looks to “significantly ramp up its ballistic missile production”. Ukraine’s weakness exploited as air forces fail to intercept a single missile in attacksUkraine’s depleted air defences failed to stop any of Moscow’s incoming missiles yesterday as Russia unleashed at least 115 drones and 28 hypersonic and ballistic missiles. The barrage, which lasted about two hours, was the latest in a series of large-scale Russian missile strikes that have become almost routine this summer. Moscow is exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of interceptors for the US-made Patriot systems, the sole air defence weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles. Volodymyr Zelensky said after a Russian attack Friday night that air defences shot down only one ballistic missile “solely because there are no missiles for the Patriots. ”Supplies of defensive missiles for Ukraine in the first half of this year fell to one-third of the 2025 level, Zelensky said. “Ballistic interceptors are what could have saved the lives of those killed today,” Zelensky said. “It is very important for our partners to understand that delays in supplying them, or a reluctance to hand over anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction. ”Arpan Rai6 August 2026 05:43Russian strikes kill three in Ukraine’s Balakliia, local officials sayAt least three people have been killed in Russian strikes overnight in Ukraine’s eastern city of Balakliia, local officials said this morning. The authorities said rescuers are working to douse fires and clear the debris from the attack. Arpan Rai6 August 2026 05:21Rubio and Miliband discuss Ukraine war, boosting Europe’s role in its own securityUS secretary of state Marco Rubio and foreign secretary Ed Miliband discussed the importance of Europe taking a greater role in its security during a meeting in Washington yesterday, the State Department said in a statement. A British official said they also reaffirmed the strength of the relationship between the two allies, including their shared commitment to the Nato security alliance. Rubio told reporters before the meeting that Ukraine would also be on the agenda. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has ratcheted up appeals to allies for more air defence missiles as Russia escalates ballistic missile strikes. Miliband had planned to underline that Ukraine’s security is inseparable from European and transatlantic security, and to reiterate the UK’s commitment to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, his ministry said. (Reuters)Arpan Rai6 August 2026 04:42Watch: Ukrainian forest covered in fibre optic cables left by Russian dronesUkrainian forest covered in fibre optic cables left by Russian dronesArpan Rai6 August 2026 04:33Explosive drone at German airport raises new danger, minister saysGerman interior minister Alexander Dobrindt said the explosive-laden drone found near a runway at Leipzig/Halle airport overnight was a hybrid attack which opened a new level of danger. Germany opened a counterterrorism investigation on Wednesday after the drone prompted the closure of parts of one of Europe’s biggest cargo hubs. “Drone sightings and drone threats in a hybrid context are something we have known from the past, but a drone armed with explosives being present on airport grounds is a new threat scenario,” Dobrindt said, after an emergency meeting with the heads of Germany’s security services on Wednesday night. Airport workers discovered the drone in a restricted cargo area near the southern runway overnight. Flights were suspended and several aircraft, including some owned by German logistics firm DHL, were diverted. Authorities said there had been no danger to passengers or airport staff and most operations resumed by morning after one runway was reopened. All speculation about the explosives, the drone, its origin, and who is behind it, is now part of the investigation, the interior minister said. “It is part of the nature of hybrid threats that it is not always immediately clear where they originate,” Dobrindt said. Arpan Rai6 August 2026 04:05Putin names new chief of Russia’s drone forceRussian president Vladimir Putin has named Denis Lyamin to head Russia’s Unmanned Systems Forces, a newly established branch of the military that will be responsible for drone warfare. Lyamin was previously chief of staff for the “Centre” group of the Russian armed forces. The 47-year-old, who graduated from Chelyabinsk Higher Tank Command School in 2001, commanded the 58th Combined Arms army in 2023. He also served as the commander of the 22nd Army Corps in Crimea after November 2020. Denis Lyamin, newly appointed head of Russia’s Unmanned Systems Forces (Reuters)Alex Croft6 August 2026 03:00Russian forces claim control of two more Ukrainian villages, claims defence ministryRussian forces have taken control of two more Ukrainian villages, the Russian defence ministry claimed on Wednesday. Moscow named the villages as Ryzhivka in the Sumy region and Zirnytsia in the Zaporizhzhia region. Alex Croft6 August 2026 01:30EU to use £1. 2 billion of interest generated by frozen Russian assets to help UkraineAs we reported earlier, the European Commission has said the EU will use £1. 2 billion taken from interest generated by frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. The money was transferred to the blog on 3 August and comes from interest on cash balances, part of Russian central bank assets frozen by the EU in the wake of Moscow’s invasion, the Commission added. “Russia must pay for the destruction it has caused. And we are using the proceeds from the immobilised Russian assets to make sure it does,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in the statement. “We are making a further €1. 4 billion of them available to Ukraine. This will support Ukraine’s continued resistance against Russia’s illegal war,” she added. Alex Croft6 August 2026 00:01Zelensky says air defence missile supplies down threefold from 2025Supplies of air defence missiles to Ukraine are three times less than in 2025, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. The Ukrainian president urged politicians in allied countries to approve more deliveries. “This concerns not only this summer period, but every period of the first half of 2026,” Mr Zelensky said on X following a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv, during which Ukraine did not manage to intercept any incoming missiles. “Our partners do have the missiles. It is important that the necessary political decisions on supplies and the acceleration of production processes are ultimately made – including decisions on localization in Ukraine. ”Alex Croft5 August 2026 23:01North Korea sends missile unit to Russia as Putin tries to exploit Ukraine weaknessA North Korean missile unit has been sent to Russia, set to be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine. Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the deployment of North Korean missile forces would be an expansion of the already extensive military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. Andrii Cherniak of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said Russia planned to base the missile unit of around 90 North Korean personnel in the western Russian region of Voronezh, within its 112th Missile Brigade. Ukraine is very short of high-end air defences and Russia has tried to exploit this by using more ballistic missiles, which are particularly hard to shoot down. Alex Croft5 August 2026 22:01