Russia waged a drone campaign in Europe and likely launched drones from shadow ships, report says
The report says 144 suspected incursions exposed air-defense gaps and disrupted airports as European governments struggled to assign blame.
- On Thursday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that Russia likely used shadow fleet ships to launch 144 drone incursions across 12 NATO countries and Ireland between August 2024 and February 2026.
- Designed to probe vulnerabilities, the campaign systematically targeted nuclear sites and military bases to map air defense gaps and reaction times while operating with "substantial impunity."
- Researchers correlated drone activity with shadow fleet vessels like the Arctica, while existing European air defense systems designed for missiles and bombers proved ill-suited for detecting small, low-flying UAVs.
- European governments responded with "neither unity nor consistency," the report noted, while Air Chief Marshal John Stringer said each ally must decide independently how to counter such threats.
- Nations are accelerating investments in counter-drone technology, recognizing that the incursions represent part of the Kremlin's "unconventional war" on European infrastructure and NATO capabilities.
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Moscow would have been using its 'phantom float' of ships to launch drones and sabotage airports, power stations and military bases. More information: Poland stripped Zelenski of its greatest distinction for extolling a group accused of genocide in World War II.
According to the analysis of a British think tank, Russia over a dozen NATO states over a period of one and a half years has largely been overtaken by a drone campaign. Germany was by far the most affected.
According to the analysis of a British think tank, Russia over a dozen NATO states over a period of one and a half years has been largely unchecked with a drone campaign. Thus, drones were targeted via airports, military bases and even nuclear facilities. According to the report, the unmanned aircraft were launched by Russian shadow fleet tankers, coastal freighters and smaller watercrafts. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS…
Drones: Russian drones took off from ships in the North Sea to map vulnerabilities around critical infrastructure, the researchers state.
According to the British think tank IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies), Russia has been able to carry out drone espionage activities over a dozen European NATO countries virtually undisturbed for a year and a half. The drones spotted in Belgian airspace may also originate from Moscow.
Russia is ‘very likely’ responsible for a series of drone sightings over Europe. This is written by the International Institute of Strategic...
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