Russia denies it was behind bomb drone attack on German airport foiled by hero bus driver

 Russia has denied being involved in a suspected drone attack at a major German air freight hub this week. 

The Russian embassy in Berlin called the drone incident a 'fabricated provocation', saying it was another example of accusations against Russia without evidence.

'The embassy is expressing its concern about a new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany,' said a statement published on its website on Friday. 

The Russian embassy's comments come after German federal prosecutors launched a probe this week into what they described as a serious attack that could have impacted foreign and domestic security.

Airport workers discovered the drone late on Tuesday at Leipzig/Halle airport, an important civilian freight and NATO logistics hub in eastern Germany that is also a base for several giant An-124 cargo planes operated by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.

The drone was equipped with explosives and a detonator, according to prosecutors.

The suspected drone attack was foiled by a hero bus driver at the airport after he kicked it out of the air, according to German MP Detlef Seif. 

The bus driver at Leipzig/Halle Airport saw the drone flying low close to a Ukrainian cargo plane when he halted it. 

'A bus driver kicked the drone away while it was flying low. It then crashed and came to rest on the ground,' Mr Seif said. 

'The bus driver's action was very daring and courageous, but also very dangerous. It is possible that his intervention prevented the intended attack.'

Additionally, a cargo plane that performed a go-around due to a runway closure near the airport collided with an object that prosecutors believe was another drone. 

The jet, operated by logistics group DHL, sustained slight damage and was eventually diverted to Hanover in northern Germany.

German government members and other officials have not blamed any foreign countries publicly for the incident, but some lawmakers have pointed the finger at Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine in 2022.

'It is obvious that this hastily fabricated provocation only serves the interests of Kyiv and the militarist wing of the European political class,' the Russian embassy said in its statement.

In the past, German officials have often blamed Moscow for what they call hybrid attacks – incidents of aggression that fall short of acts of war.

It comes amid warnings from US intelligence services that Russia could send an armed group to occupy NATO territory in Europe. 

Officials believe that Putin could launch a small land incursion into a disputed Eastern European outpost such as the Estonian city of Narva, or launch a cyber attack to test the alliance's resolve.

Until now, US intelligence believed the Kremlin dictator would not risk provoking NATO while fighting in Ukraine.

But this assessment changed this year as Russia comes under increasing pressure from Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and logistics hubs, according to The Wall Street Journal.

NATO members believe Putin is already conducting probing attacks to test and fracture the alliance.

Western fighter jets have been scrambled three times in the last few weeks to shoot down drones, while Ukraine recently intercepted a drone that had earlier crossed into Romanian airspace.

And fighter jets were scrambled over 250 per cent more in July compared with a year ago as Russia continues to probe the West's defences.

The sharp increase in the monthly figure for July compared with the same month in 2025 highlights Putin's aggressive stance.

'The numbers do not lie,' said a post by NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.

'The possible threats range from a cyberattack on a NATO country or sending unmarked armed groups to occupy territory to a limited incursion on the alliance's eastern flank,' said the WSJ report.

The time frame for a Russian move is between this autumn and 2029, according to US intelligence assessments.

One theory is Putin could grab a city or region in Poland or one of the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all NATO members which have strongly backed Ukraine.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda warned recently: 'I cannot deny that we have such information and that it concerns kinetic operations.

'Not on a large scale, but targeted kinetic operations that are very likely to be directed against critical infrastructure.'

Russian opposition politician and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov said: 'I think the chances [are] that he'll cross NATO borders — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, just a small incursion using drones.

'I think the chances are growing because Putin needs a winning narrative and Ukraine doesn't offer it.'

All three Baltic states have strengthened their border defences against Russia and close ally Belarus.

The Baltic states have some of the highest defence spending in all of NATO in relative terms - Lithuania directs 5.3 per cent of GDP to defence, the most of NATO's 32 members.