GRU Involved in Sabotage Attempt Against An-124 Ruslan—U.S. Intelligence

U.S. intelligence has determined that GRU was involved in a sabotage attempt involving a drone near an An-124 Ruslan at Leipzig Airport in early August.

A U.S. intelligence source shared this with ABC News.

The source noted that the explosives and the drone’s design are typical of those used by the GRU.

According to the informant, the assessment was made jointly with German security and intelligence services.

In a statement dated August 24, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused German politicians and European media outlets of reaching an unequivocal conclusion immediately and holding Russia accountable without even waiting for the preliminary results of the investigation.

On August 25, German law enforcement officials discovered a third drone and new evidence in the case of the attempted terrorist attack at Leipzig Airport, including a larger number of drones involved in the hybrid operation than previously believed.

On August 10, Die Zeit, based on an analysis of video footage, confirmed a failed sabotage attempt, during which the drone did not explode for unknown reasons.

A source in U.S. intelligence familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the device did not explode because its detonation mechanism had been deactivated.

On August 8, the U.S. put forward the hypothesis that the first drone belongs to Russian intelligence services.

The discovery on August 4 of a drone, equipped with explosives and a detonator, near a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 Ruslan cargo plane led to the temporary closure of Leipzig Airport while bomb disposal experts performed their work.

According to journalists, the cargo, consisting of military equipment and ammunition, had arrived in Germany from France and was being prepared for onward transport.

At this time, the German Federal Police is not providing any comments due to the ongoing investigation.

According to U.S. officials, 18 drone incidents have disrupted air traffic at the airport since January.