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Drone incident near French aircraft carrier
The Swedish government has identified a drone, jammed by its military near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in Malmö, as likely Russian. The drone was detected seven nautical miles (13 km) from the carrier, which is visiting Sweden for the first time to participate in NATO exercises.
Swedish and French officials react
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, speaking aboard the Charles de Gaulle, described the incident as serious but not unexpected. He stated it was difficult to view the event as coincidental, citing a pattern of Russian behavior observed elsewhere.
"It is a Russian way of acting that we recognise from other places."
Ulf Kristersson, Swedish Prime Minister
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the Swedish allegations as "absurd."
Recent drone sightings in the region
NATO allies have reported multiple drone sightings near military installations and airports in recent months, including incidents in Denmark and the Baltic states. In December, an investigation was launched after drones flew over Île Longue, a French naval base housing nuclear ballistic submarines near Brest.
Possible link to Russian naval vessel
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson suggested a "strong link" between the drone and a Russian naval vessel that had been in Sweden's territorial waters in the Öresund Strait, between Sweden and Denmark. The Russian ship reportedly continued into the Baltic Sea after the drone was jammed, though the drone's fate remains unclear.
International responses and strategic implications
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, accompanying Kristersson on the carrier, called the incident a "ridiculous provocation" if proven to be of Russian origin. Meanwhile, French military officials downplayed the event, with General Staff spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet praising Sweden's "robust" response and noting it had no impact on the French mission.
"That they would do so while the French aircraft carrier is deployed there is certainly a strategic signal."
Gen. Dominique Trinquand, French ex-military commander at the UN
Gen. Dominique Trinquand, a former French military commander at the UN, told French media that Russian intelligence operations in the area were unsurprising, particularly with the Charles de Gaulle present.
France's shifting military focus
The Charles de Gaulle, accompanied by its naval escort and carrying Rafale fighter jets and reconnaissance planes, relies on host nations for defense while in territorial waters. Its arrival in Sweden marks a strategic shift in France's military focus toward NATO allies in Northern Europe.
Under the La Fayette 26 mission, the carrier will participate in several long-planned NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea and off the coast of Norway. Analysts view the mission as a response to prolonged Russian hybrid warfare in the region.
Separate investigation into fuel spill
Sweden's coast guard has launched an investigation into a fuel spill detected in Malmö's port on Thursday. The spill occurred near two docked oil tankers and the Charles de Gaulle, though port authorities stated it was unrelated to the aircraft carrier.
