The Swedish Armed Forces stated that one of their vessels observed the drone taking off from the Russian signals intelligence ship Zhigulevsk during a patrol. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said that technical data confirmed the drone’s origin from the Russian vessel, characterizing the event as a breach of Sweden’s access regulations and a violation of Swedish airspace. Swedish forces responded with electronic countermeasures that disrupted the drone, after which contact with it was lost. The military has not confirmed whether the drone returned to the Russian vessel or crashed into the sea.
French officials emphasized that the incident did not compromise the safety of the carrier battle group. French military spokesperson Guillaume Vernet noted that the drone was detected more than six miles from the Charles de Gaulle and was handled by Swedish forces integrated into the carrier’s security system. Vernet stated that the event demonstrated the robustness of the security architecture and had no impact on the activities of the aircraft carrier. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who visited the ship in Malmö, condemned the act as a “ridiculous provocation” if the Russian origin is confirmed, though he noted he had no independent information regarding the drone’s source beyond Swedish official statements.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, also visiting the Charles de Gaulle, described the incident as serious but perhaps not surprising, citing Russia’s known opposition to Western military exercises. He stated that “everything implies that it is a Russian violation of Swedish airspace.” The Kremlin, however, rejected the attribution. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of the specific incident and called it “quite absurd” to claim the drone was Russian solely because a Russian ship was nearby.
The Russian vessel Zhigulevsk continued its course into the Baltic Sea following the incident. Swedish authorities have maintained close contact with Denmark regarding the matter. Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson noted that Russia dislikes Western exercises, while the West disapproves of Moscow’s actions. This incident is part of a broader pattern of Russian drone incursions into allied airspace over the past year. In September 2025, approximately 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace, forcing the military to scramble fighter jets. Similar incursions have repeatedly breached Romanian territory near the Ukrainian border, prompting multiple European nations to deploy specialized anti-drone defense systems along the alliance’s eastern flank.
Western officials assert that Russia is masterminding a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe, with the stated aim of depriving Ukraine of support and identifying European weak points. Swedish military intelligence recently warned that Russia may be capable of launching a new conflict against another country within approximately one year, even while continuing its war in Ukraine. The assessment indicated that Moscow is adapting its economy and industry for a prolonged war scenario, significantly increasing the production of weapons and ammunition while reorganizing command structures. Although much of its conventional capacity is currently committed to Ukraine, Moscow is rebuilding its forces and expanding its defense industrial base, a capacity that could allow it to pose a new direct threat to other countries in the near term.
