Published on 6/9/2026
German police have launched an investigation after finding 12 improvised explosive devices near high-voltage power lines in the east of the country, near two power plants, days after Berlin accused Russia of trying to target Leipzig/Halle airport with a drone.
German judicial authorities said the devices were found on Friday, following a tip from a citizen, near high-voltage power lines near two power plants in the Bautzen and Graustein districts of the city of Görlitz in the east of the country.
According to investigators, the purpose of placing the devices was to cause electrical short circuits and damage power lines. Investigators said they confirmed that explosives experts disabled the devices and that there was no damage or disruption to the power supply.
German authorities said they were looking into possible links between the incidents and ongoing investigations into similar sabotage operations in Brandenburg, in the east of the country, and North Rhine-Westphalia, in the west.
Germany has witnessed repeated attacks on energy infrastructure in recent months, some of which have been claimed by radical left activists.
On January 3, more than 100,000 people in Berlin were left without electricity after a fire at an electrical facility claimed by the Volkangruppe (Volcano Group). The investigation has not named the circumstances of the incident so far.
American Solidarity
Concerns are growing in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over what member states are calling “hybrid actions”, including sabotage and drone attacks, amid allegations that Russia is behind the activities.
In this context, Matthew Whittaker, the US ambassador to NATO, on Saturday called on NATO countries “not to tolerate targeted actions that are within the framework of hybrid warfare”, stressing that Washington stands with member states in confronting it.
Whittaker said the plane incident last month near Germany’s Leipzig/Halle airport was “of greater concern than other incidents of Russian planes targeting Ukraine and then veering off course.”
Last Tuesday, the German government officially pointed the finger at Russia for an attempted drone attack that targeted the Leipzig/Halle airport early last month.
Germany’s interior minister explained at a press conference last Tuesday that the attempted attack fits a well-known pattern of “Russian hybrid operations,” stressing that Berlin “has come to the conclusion that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack at Leipzig Airport on August 4.”
The airport, located in East Germany, plays a major role in the transportation of military equipment, including that for the German army and NATO, and is also used as a base for the Ukrainian air cargo company Antonov.
