Shortly after the drone discovery at Leipzig Airport, another incident has come to light: drones were sighted over a German armed forces (Bundeswehr) site in North Rhine-Westphalia. A spokesperson for the Bundeswehr's Territorial Command confirmed the case to the news agency AFP on Saturday.
The security control center at the Bundeswehr site in Mechernich reported the sighting of two drones on Thursday at around 10:00 p.m. Military police were then dispatched to the scene. The matter has been handed over to the Euskirchen police department, the spokesperson explained. The department has opened an investigation. The Bundeswehr Territorial Command declined to comment on the details of the investigation.
"Süddeutsche Zeitung," WDR and NDR were the first to report on the drone sighting on Friday. According to their reporting, employees of a private security firm observed a total of six overflights in Mechernich between Thursday evening and Friday morning.
The site in question is no ordinary Bundeswehr facility: 130 meters below ground, equipment and spare parts are stored across an area of around 30,000 square meters. The Bundeswehr itself describes it as an "underground material depot." According to the three media outlets, the Patriot air defense system is also serviced there.
The Patriot system plays a central role in protecting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. NATO member states have supplied Ukraine with several Patriot systems and continue to deliver the accompanying missiles. Germany is among the most important suppliers, providing both systems and Patriot ammunition.
Just days earlier, in the night leading into Wednesday, a drone loaded with explosives was discovered in the cargo area of Leipzig/Halle Airport. Federal police explosives experts defused the device. Several Ukrainian cargo aircraft were parked near the site of the drone discovery. The airport is considered a hub for the transshipment of military aid deliveries to Ukraine.
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