The Name Of Another Belarusian Linked To The Sabotage At Leipzig Airport Has Been Identified

Journalists have not ruled out the possibility that other people from Belarus were also involved in the operation.

Belarusian citizen Maksim Lapunov, who had previously changed his last name and lived under the passport name Maksim Kolosov, may have been involved in a foiled drone attack at Leipzig Airport. This is the conclusion reached by journalists from The Insider in a joint investigation with Der Spiegel. Earlier, another Belarusian, Andrei Karshakov, had already been named in connection with the incident.

According to the authors, both men may also have been behind the arson attack on the Leroy Merlin hypermarket in Łódź, Poland, in July 2024, when the damage was estimated at approximately 45,000 euros. Journalists identified the men using surveillance footage showing them withdrawing cash from an ATM in Łódź.

Investigators found Karshakov’s biological traces on an antenna that amplified the drone’s control signal in Leipzig. As for Lapunov, according to The Insider, on July 19, 2026, he flew from St. Petersburg to Ankara and from there traveled to Belgrade. Sources within the law enforcement agencies of a European country told the publication that he was most likely in Germany during the days of the sabotage.

The attempted attack took place on the evening of August 4, 2026. A drone carrying explosives crashed into the wing of a Ukrainian An-124 “Ruslan” cargo plane parked at the Leipzig airport, but the charge failed to detonate, and the drone fell to the ground. Shortly before that, this aircraft had delivered ammunition from France via Leipzig.

The Insider attributes the organization of the operation to Russia’s GRU. According to the publication, among the coordinators was Colonel Denis Smolyaninov, who brought Oleg Levushkin into the operation. Thanks to his Latvian citizenship, Levushkin was able to travel freely throughout the EU.

The journalists do not rule out the possibility that other individuals from Belarus were also involved in the operation. According to them, border crossing records show that Karshakov frequently traveled with three acquaintances living in Russia: Roman Kovalevsky (who has a criminal record for robbery and theft), Vyacheslav Aysin, and former police officer Denis Shulgan. Their role in the Leipzig incident remains unclear, but, as the authors note, Aisin has visited Germany—including Leipzig—on multiple occasions.

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