As Putin’s long shadow falls across Europe, Germany’s far-right is prospering

September 2, 2026 — 3:30pm

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London: The danger from drones became clear to travellers in Europe one year ago when Amsterdam’s main airport had to shut down for 45 minutes after drones were seen flying near a passenger aircraft.

The threat spread to runways across the continent and sparked talk of a “drone wall” being built by European Union states to protect essential services.

One year later, the danger is even greater. And European leaders are far more direct about blaming Russia.

An attempted drone strike at a German airport has forced the change in the debate over “hybrid” attacks that threaten lives without looking like outright war. After weeks of media debate about the likely source of the attack, the German government finally went public on Tuesday by naming Russia.

The German authorities said a quadcopter drone hit an Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft on the tarmac at Leipzig on August 4. The drone was carrying about 800 grams of explosive material. Fortunately, it failed to detonate.

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Soon afterwards, a drone hit a Boeing 757 cargo aircraft that was about to land in Leipzig after flying from Marseille. Again, there was no detonation.

Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the nature of the attack showed it........

© The Age