Swedish naval forces jammed a Russian drone operating near the nuclear-powered French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during its historic first visit to Malmö, in an incident that has intensified scrutiny of Russian intelligence activity in the strategically vital Oresund Strait.
The drone was detected on Wednesday as the Charles de Gaulle made its maiden port call in the Swedish city. Swedish forces intercepted and jammed the unmanned aerial vehicle on Thursday, neutralising it approximately 13 kilometres — seven nautical miles — from the carrier. The French military had first spotted the drone at that distance before Swedish assets moved to disable it.
Sweden’s Armed Forces confirmed on Friday that the drone was Russian and had taken off from the Zhigulevsk, a Russian signals intelligence vessel operating in Swedish territorial waters in the Oresund Strait. The spy ship subsequently sailed into the Baltic Sea following the incident.
Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said there was probably a “strong link” between the drone and the Russian naval vessel, while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the episode as serious but not unexpected. “I do not believe the timing was a coincidence,” Kristersson said, adding that a formal investigation had been launched.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was aboard the Charles de Gaulle at the time of the incident, called it a “ridiculous provocation” if Russian involvement was confirmed. He stressed that the drone had been neutralised well away from the carrier and posed no genuine threat to the vessel or its crew. French deputy defence minister Alice Rufo praised Sweden’s handling of the situation, saying it had been dealt with “very pro-actively.” French General Staff spokesman Colonel Guillaume Vernet said the episode demonstrated the “robustness” of the Swedish military response.
The Kremlin flatly rejected the allegations. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Sweden’s claims as “quite an absurd statement,” offering no further elaboration.
The Charles de Gaulle, which carries Rafale fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft and operates with its own naval escort, arrived in Malmö ahead of a major NATO deployment. Under the mission designation La Fayette 26, the carrier strike group is scheduled to participate in alliance exercises in both the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean off the Norwegian coast — a deployment that underlines France’s growing commitment to NATO’s eastern flank.
The drone incident is the latest in a sustained pattern of aerial intrusions near sensitive military infrastructure across northern Europe. NATO’s easternmost members, including the Baltic states and Denmark, have reported numerous drone sightings close to military installations and airports over recent months. In December, an investigation was opened after drones were observed flying over the Île Longue naval base near the Breton city of Brest — the home port of France’s nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
The Baltic Sea has emerged as a primary theatre of strategic competition between Russia and NATO since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago. Sweden’s accession to NATO has sharpened that dynamic, transforming the Oresund Strait — the narrow waterway separating Sweden and Denmark — into a corridor of heightened military sensitivity. The presence of the Charles de Gaulle, one of the world’s most powerful conventional warships, made the port of Malmö an obvious focal point for Russian intelligence gathering.
A separate investigation was also opened by Sweden’s coast guard into a fuel spill detected in Malmö’s port on Thursday. Authorities confirmed the oil spill, which occurred while two tankers were docked alongside the carrier, is unrelated to the Charles de Gaulle or the drone incident.
The carrier is expected to depart Malmö and proceed with its NATO mission, with exercises planned across both the Baltic and the waters off Norway’s Atlantic coast.
