STOCKHOLM – Swedish military forces have intercepted what they suspect to be a Russian drone near the southern coast as the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was anchored in Malmö, officials reported.
According to the armed forces, a Swedish naval vessel identified the drone during a patrol in the Öresund Strait, which separates Sweden from Denmark. This incident took place on Thursday.
The military confirmed that they employed unspecified countermeasures to disrupt the drone’s operations, after which contact with the drone was lost.
This week, the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is stationed in Malmö, a city in southern Sweden, as part of routine NATO exercises. Malmö is situated across the strait from Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.
Guillaume Vernet, a spokesperson for the French military, told The Associated Press that Swedish forces, integrated into the protective system surrounding the carrier, detected the drone on Wednesday. Vernet noted on Friday that the drone was located more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) away from the Charles de Gaulle.
“This incident demonstrated the robustness of the system, and there was no impact on the operations of the aircraft carrier battle group,” Vernet stated.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told public broadcaster SVT Thursday evening that the suspected violation of Swedish airspace by a drone happened in connection with a Russian military ship being in Swedish territorial waters. Asked what country he thinks the drone belongs to, he replied: “Probably Russia.”
The Russian ship continued into the Baltic Sea, and Swedish authorities have been in close contact with Denmark about the incident, Jonson said. The armed forces said no further drones were observed.
Western officials say Russia is masterminding a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. An Associated Press database has documented well over 100 incidents.
Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe’s weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.
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