Report: Russia planning drone sabotage in Southern Europe

 

Tina Magnergård Bjers/TT, Mia Holmberg Karlsson/TT

 

Published 14:07 | Updated 14:57

 

Russian drone attacks against Southern Europe could be launched from ships in the Mediterranean. The photo shows a seized vessel—suspected of belonging to Russia’s "shadow fleet"—off the coast of southern France in January. Photo: Philippe Magoni/AP/TT

Russia is preparing drone attacks against Spain, Italy, or France, according to a source close to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence cited by *El Mundo*.

The three countries reportedly received detailed warnings following a visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in August, the Spanish newspaper writes.

The attacks would involve so-called "Gerbera" drones—small Russian drones capable of being launched from platforms such as merchant vessels, with a range of 600 kilometers.

"They will use drones launched from the sea, hidden inside a shipping container. It is not difficult at all," the anonymous Lithuanian source told * El Mundo*. 

Sowing division ahead of elections

Gerbera drones can carry only a limited amount of explosives. They are not intended to cause massive destruction but could be used to start fires, disrupt air traffic, or symbolically demonstrate Moscow's capacity to reach the parts of Europe furthest from Russia.

All three targeted countries are heading to the polls in 2027. The aim of the sabotage attacks is believed to be to instill fear in the population and thereby strengthen political forces seeking to scale back support for Ukraine. Parties advocating for more Russia-friendly policies exist in all three countries, particularly in France and Italy. The acts of sabotage are also believed to be a way of sowing division among NATO countries.

Numerous attacks

Russia has already been implicated in similar acts of sabotage and hybrid attacks by several European countries—including Germany, where the government formally accused Moscow of an attempted attack using armed drones against the airport in Leipzig in August.

And the provocations appear to be escalating. Last week, a Russian frigate fired flares at a Danish military helicopter in international waters near the Danish island of Falster. That same week, an explosive-laden Russian Gerbera-2 drone was found in the sea off the village of Rusinowo in northwestern Poland.