The German Armed Forces confirmed on Saturday that two drones were observed flying over a military base in western Germany earlier this week, just two days after a drone carrying explosives was discovered at a key cargo airport.

According to a statement from the German Joint Force Command, security surveillance at the Bundeswehr base in Mechernich detected two drones at approximately 10 p.m. on Thursday. The sightings were subsequently confirmed, and military police were deployed to the site.

The military stated that the Euskirchen police department has launched an investigation. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the military released no additional details.

Drone sightings over civilian and cargo airports have become increasingly common in recent months. Last year, mysterious drone flights across the airspace of European Union member states alarmed both the public and authorities, leading to the cancellation of dozens of flights and stranding thousands of passengers. European security agencies have publicly warned that small, commercially available drones can be used for reconnaissance, sabotage, or as improvised weapons, and several NATO governments have been investing in counter-drone detection and interception systems.

Thursday's sighting followed the discovery of a drone equipped with explosives at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport shortly before midnight on Tuesday. The device was defused, but German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as representing a "new quality of danger."

Leipzig/Halle is a major international freight hub and plays a critical role in providing logistical support to Ukraine. Aircraft regularly operating at the facility include Ukrainian Antonov transport planes. The airport also hosts NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS), which is currently operational nearly every day, delivering equipment to NATO battle groups along the alliance's eastern flank from Finland to Romania, as well as supporting EU and allied nation missions.

In 2024, an incendiary device ignited at a logistics center at the airport, setting fire to a freight container. Western security officials suspect that incident was part of a plot organized by Russian intelligence.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of orchestrating dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. These have included acts of arson, sabotage at logistics and defense-industrial sites, and disinformation campaigns, prompting several European governments to elevate domestic threat assessments and expand investigations into suspected state-directed activities.

The Russian Embassy in Germany on Friday characterized the Leipzig drone incident as part of a "new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany."