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Saxony will play a major role in the construction of the Central German Centre for Infection Control. This morning, 23 men were deported to Afghanistan from Leipzig/Halle Airport. And: According to the latest information, the suspected attempted drone attack at the same airport may have been on a larger scale than previously thought. The LZ summarises the key events from Tuesday, 25 August 2026, in Leipzig, Saxony and beyond.
First funds released: construction of the Infection Control Centre at St. Georg gets under way
The Free State of Saxony will contribute 53.53 million euros towards the construction of the Central German Infection Control Centre, complete with a special isolation ward, at St Georg Hospital in Leipzig. This was officially announced today. According to the State Ministry for Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion, the Free State of Saxony’s budget is set to contribute 43.53 million euros, subject to the approval of the Budget and Finance Committee in the State Parliament. In addition, ten million euros will come from the state arm of the Saxony Fund, the release of which the Cabinet approved today.
A contract with St. Georg could follow shortly. Saxony’s Minister for Health and Social Affairs, Petra Köpping (68, SPD), welcomed the plans as a “significant investment project in the Free State of Saxony” that would strengthen crisis resilience and preparedness in the long term. St. Georg is the only facility in the whole state to have a special isolation ward for people suffering from life-threatening infectious diseases such as pneumonic plague or Ebola. The Infection Protection Act obliges the federal states to maintain such wards.
According to the Ministry, the new building is necessary to ensure that operations can continue to meet current standards. It is therefore to include a special isolation ward with twelve beds and a quarantine ward with eight beds, which will be funded accordingly to fulfil the legal requirements of the State of Saxony. Arrangements for other federal states to contribute to the funding are planned.
Leipzig/Halle Airport: Federal Government deports 23 men to Kabul
Germany has once again deported people to Afghanistan: according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior on X,
a charter flight from Leipzig/Halle Airport took 23 men required to leave the country to Kabul early on Tuesday morning. The majority of those affected are criminals who have been convicted of offences including sexual offences and assault.
Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) defends deportations to Afghanistan against criticism and remains committed to his course of action. © BMI/Henning Schacht
The previous evening, around 50 people had protested against the deportation measure at a last-minute rally in the airport area, organised by an anti-racist alliance: “Everyone wants a safe life for themselves and their family. People from Afghanistan who are seeking refuge here are being deported today to the Taliban regime, where they face exclusion, torture or even death. This is extremely dangerous for them,” said Kai Adeel, spokesperson for the Alliance Against Deportations.
Cooperation with the Taliban regime – which returned to power five years ago and is known for human rights abuses – is also facing fierce criticism in some quarters. “Whilst many people are horrified by the Islamist violence at Berlin’s CSD, the federal government is cooperating with Islamists: It is cooperating with the Taliban on deportations,” says Adeel. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (56, CSU),
however, defends the deportations as justified and points to the public interest in repatriating criminals in particular.
Were there actually three drones? New information following an explosive discovery at the airport – Merz threatens those responsible
Leipzig/Halle Airport is currently making headlines in another context as well: three weeks ago, a drone carrying explosives was discovered there, which was allegedly intended to attack a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft. According to the investigation, an attack on the aircraft – which was loaded with military equipment – failed due to a faulty detonator.
As reported today , it is currently assumed that several drones were deployed. A third drone – a second may have collided with a DHL aircraft – is said to have been discovered in an adjacent field as early as 14 August. In the course of the investigations, investigators are said to have discovered a substance that could be the highly explosive hexogen.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment on the matter of the third drone. Should these findings prove to be true, it could be assumed that the possible attempted attack was on a larger scale than previously known. No arrests have been publicly reported so far. The involvement of Russian intelligence services is suspected. Russia officially denies any involvement. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (70, CDU) has since also commented , though he has not yet made any specific statements regarding potential perpetrators.
What the LZ reported today:
A fair mayoral election campaign in Leipzig? One candidate was barred from the podium
Haunting training for a fragile world: Salon Similde opens the exhibition ‘Haunted Origins’
Hello Leipzig: Here’s how Tuesday, 25 August 2026 begins
New ‘Elite Monitor’ from Leipzig: A few more East Germans in top positions
Hans Woller’s ‘Biography of a Politician’: How Thomas Mann became the moral champion of his time
What else was going on:
The Leipzig Police Headquarters issued several appeals for witnesses, including one relating to a cycling accident in which a 13-year-old girl was seriously injured yesterday evening in the Schleußig district.
The Federal Cabinet met today at Neuhardenberg Castle in Brandenburg for two days of deliberations. The focus is, amongst other things, on the planned reform programme, the economic situation and Germany’s competitiveness.
An extension of the sugar tax by the Federal Government is reportedly in the pipeline.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (70, SPD) has spoken out on the topic of an immigration-based society and warned against discrimination against migrants.
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