STOCKHOLM, Feb 27: Swedish forces intercepted a suspected Russian drone south of the country, near where France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is docked in Malmö for NATO exercises.
A naval patrol spotted the drone in the Öresund strait—dividing Sweden and Denmark—Thursday. Troops used countermeasures to disrupt it, then lost contact, officials said. The carrier was over 10 km away, and the incident didn’t affect operations, per French spokesperson Guillaume Vernet.
Defence Minister Pål Jonson linked it to a Russian warship in Swedish waters, calling Russia the likely culprit. The ship headed into the Baltic Sea; no more drones were seen. Sweden coordinated with Denmark.
This fits a broader Russian sabotage wave across Europe since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, say Western officials—over 100 incidents tracked by AP, aimed at weakening Kyiv support and probing NATO vulnerabilities.
