Russia’s Attacks on Germany Started With Disinformation. Now There Are Drones

Sep 11, 2026 17:25

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Joseph Place

Author

The drones that entered Leipzig’s airport, one with an explosive and another that hit a plane mid-flight, have been confirmed to have been sent by Russia. Authorities believe the attack was meant to disrupt the delivery of military supplies to Ukraine. It was fortunately a minor incident, but could have injured or killed people. Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster called the attack "state terrorism."

"This attack was planned in ⁠Russia for months,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on September 9, 2026, “And was ​specifically targeted at Germany, and only ​by pure chance was major material damage and harm to people prevented.”

Before 2022, a story about a Russian attack on Germany would have been unthinkable, yet it has become almost a regular and expected part of life in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, as Russia steps up its hybrid war. However, it didn’t start this way and is part of a multi-layered effort to disrupt Germany’s stability and security, which has included disinformation, political influence, and terrorism.

What is known about Russia’s attempted drone attack? 

On August 4, a drone carrying explosives entered Leipzig/Halle airfield in Germany. It was intended to detonate near a Ukrainian Antonov-124 plane, which had been carrying ammunition from France. It failed to explode and was found on the ground. 

By August 5, the airport had closed due to the drone, forcing one flight to divert. As the plane navigated the site,  the drone hit the plane midair, leading to an emergency landing in Hannover. Days later, more suspicious drones were seen over a German military base. A third drone with traces of explosives was also found. 

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World

Russia’s Hybrid War on Europe Escalated. Germany Says It Has the Evidence

Sep 02, 2026 15:54

By September 2, the German government confirmed that the drone attacks had hallmarks of Russian intelligence and identified Russian-backed suspects. US officials had also said the same to The New York Times, based on intelligence. 

Are Russian drones over Germany becoming a pattern?

This is not the first time drones have been spotted in Germany and suspected of originating from Russia. From September to December 2025, mysterious drones were detected in the air near sensitive military and infrastructure sites in Germany and other European countries. The Bundeswehr said that there have been hundreds of mysterious drones in Germany over the past few years.  

Though unconfirmed, German authorities suspected that drones were sent from Russia’s so-called Shadow Fleet  in September 2025. Drones can be launched quickly and easily from cargo ships, and evidence can be removed before inspections. Russian Shadow Fleet vessels have been strongly suspected of sabotage before, including disrupting communication lines in the Baltic Sea. 

While not all drones were confirmed to have originated in Russia, there are confirmed incidents of Russian drone incursions into many other European countries, such as Poland, Moldova, and Romania, often during attacks on Ukraine. 

While Russian responsibility has not been established in every German drone incident, the Leipzig attack provides a confirmed case within a broader pattern of suspected surveillance and sabotage.

How did Russia’s hybrid war against Germany start?

Russia has been conducting hybrid activities that could disrupt Germany's stability for a significant period. While it's drones now, much of its influence started more insidiously and less overtly. 

Germany, unlike many other European countries, sought a somewhat cooperative relationship with Russia even after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and generally preferred diplomacy and economic cooperation, i.e., Nord Stream, to reduce the risk of conflict. This is part of “change through trade”—Wandel durch Handel—a policy originating back in the 60s in the German Social Democratic Party. This idea was criticized in 2022 by then European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni, as it was evident it did not work. 

Disinformation: Creating internal rifts

In recent years, Russian disinformation organizations, such as “troll farms”, have been deliberately interfering with German politics and causing disunity. One of its favorite tools is creating deepfake videos of politicians or making fake news reports, such as a video claiming a politician was accused of rape, despite there being zero allegations, as the European Digital Media Observatory shows. While political debate and domestic issues within Germany are real, as in any other state, Russia is deliberately exacerbating division and undermining the ability of people to access real information.

Russia aims to deepen pre-existing societal and political rifts, and Germany is no exception. The Russian-affiliated IT organization known for orchestrating the Doppelgänger disinformation network, the "Social Design Agency" (SDA), attempts this by:

• Targeting internal rifts within ruling elites.

• Stimulating protest activity among opposition forces.

• Escalating anti-government demonstrations.

• Destabilizing the politically apathetic segment of the electorate in NATO countries and their satellite states.

The SDA does this by spreading different forms of disinformation online and creating fake Wikipedia pages and “doppelgangers”, which are fake sites that look like authentic news or authoritative pages, to spread false narratives. They have used this approach in many countries, including Germany, as well as in Armenia, as reported by The Insider. 

Leaked documentation from a Russian troll farm also corroborated that Russia was targeting the German elections. German security forces have identified that Russia is spreading disinformation online, Reuters reported. They also noted that disinformation agencies are creating fake videos with logos of major news organizations, which aim to discredit German politicians, whether it is the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SPD), or the Greens and Free Democratic Party, while Russian influence operations have separately amplified narratives favorable to Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance–Reason and Justice (BSW).

Back in 2020, the Russian-German minority was often targeted by Russian disinformation, as predominantly Russian speakers received false information about realities in Germany, as noted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). This minority in 2012 was around 1.2 million citizens, many of whom live in East Germany. The report says that Russia also spread disinformation about migrants and refugees in Germany to undermine support for then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Russian-backed media outlets promoted tailored disinformation for far right, far left, and Russian-German audiences,” says CSIS.

While the CSIS assessed at the time that it was less effective in Germany than in other countries, it appears that Germany has increasingly become the target of Russian disinformation efforts to exacerbate divisions.

Over time, Russian influence in Germany via disinformation has grown, accompanying the more violent components of its hybrid war—explosive drones.

Politics: Who benefits from Russian narratives?

Russia has been fostering deep political ties in Germany for a long time and has funded party trips, hosted politicians at events, been accused of sending money to individuals who then advanced Russian interests, and influenced politicians via lobbying to determine policy. Before 2022, the influence was in the major parties, but as they broke away from Russia, they began backing more extreme political movements. 

Examples of the sort of influence Russia had in Germany extend to the pre-2022 SPD and CDU. “Though Merkel is famously skeptical of Vladimir Putin and inclined to view Russia as a threat to German interests and European unity, influential voices in both the CDU and the SPD continue to view Russia as at least a potential partner,” said the CSIS in 2022. 

A wide network in both major parties was influenced by what was called the Gazprom Lobby, where politicians, including former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, advanced the interests of the Russian gas company Gazprom and the Russian government in general, encouraging gas dependency, as found by investigative journalism organization CORRECTIV and another initiative for political transparency. As Nord Stream was eventually shut off and later exploded, sanctions were applied to Russia, and the parties prioritized German, not Russian, interests; this lobby was no longer effective, but instead, supporters of reopening Nord Stream were backed by Russia on the fringes. 

Back in 2018, Moscow was funding trips for AfD. Two of the party’s politicians, Maximilian Krah and Petr Bystron, were suspected of receiving funding via “Voice of Europe”—a Russian internet network funded by Viktor Medvedchuk, a friend of Vladimir Putin who is also the godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter. Many members have met with Russian business leaders and politicians, repeated Russian propaganda, and walked out when President Zelenskyy visited the German parliament. 

AfD and BSW have also criticized aid for Ukraine and called for ending sanctions and restoring relations with Russia. They want to reintroduce Russian language learning in Germany and to reopen trade with Russia. In 2025, AfD lawmakers were suspected of filing questions about infrastructure and sensitive information to pass the information to Russia, undermining German security. 

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, AfD deputy chairman in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, was filmed by Bild with a Russian army mug. AfD member Bjorn Höcke said in 2023 that Russia is “a country that hopes it could possibly be a pioneer for a world of free and sovereign states without hegemonic influence." He also said that if he became chancellor, he would first visit Moscow.

The BSW has been using anti-Ukraine posters for the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, criticizing the sending of money and aid, and wanting to reopen Nord Stream. This party also received Russian support in disinformation. In the Saxony-Anhalt elections on September 6, AfD and BSW both saw gains in support, with AfD receiving 43.8%+ of the vote and BSW 5.3%, meaning almost half of the voters backed these parties.

Disinformation and drones are part of the same toolbox

The hybrid efforts to influence German politics may have started with political funding and disinformation campaigns, but they escalated. In addition to the drone incursions, other direct and violent incidents have occurred in Germany. 

As in other countries, such as Poland, the UK, and even Ukraine, Russia has exploited vulnerable, young, or isolated people and got them to unknowingly or willingly conduct terrorist operations within Germany. Recently, two Bulgarians were attempting to sabotage a defense factory, and Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has recorded over 165 acts of sabotage in 2026 so far, as well as 740 mysterious drone sightings. Often, Russia pays people via crypto and sends orders remotely; in some cases, individuals do not know they are working with Russians. 

Drones, disinformation, and political influence are all part of the same multi-layered hybrid war against Germany, which has been seen across Europe.

A timeline of suspected Russian hybrid operations in Germany

Taken together, the incidents suggest a pattern of escalation:

• 2018 — Political influence: Russia funds AfD-linked trips and deepens ties with German political figures.

• 2020 — Disinformation: Russian-backed media target German voters with anti-migrant and anti-government narratives.

• 2025 — Sabotage and terrorism plots: Germany arrests suspects accused of preparing Russia-linked parcel bomb attacks.

• Apr 2025 — Military surveillance: Drones appear near a sensitive German naval communications site.

• Sep–Dec 2025 — Drone escalation: Repeated drones appear over naval yards, critical infrastructure, and the Arrow 3 missile-defense site.

• Jul 2026 — Defense industry targeted: A drone flies over the KNDS weapons plant in Munich; a suspect is arrested.

• 4 Aug 2026 — Attempted airport attack: An explosives-laden drone found near a Ukrainian Antonov at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Evidence substantiates Russian responsibility.

• 8 Aug 2026 — Critical infrastructure targeted: Drones appear over the Patriot maintenance facility at Mechernich.

The normalization of the hybrid war

Russia started its hybrid war with troll farms spreading disinformation, fuelling political polarization, and funding radical politicians. It then, over time, conducted terrorist operations and drone incursions on an increasing basis, to the point where it seems almost normal. 

In many cases, there was enough room for doubt so that Russia could not be said to be irrefutably responsible, but this is not the case now that the drone attack in Leipzig has been officially attributed to Russia, and it fits a wider pattern of its hybrid war on Europe.

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