Swedish armed forces have confirmed that a drone observed near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off Malmö was Russian. The drone launched from the Russian signals intelligence ship Zhigulevsk and was jammed by the Swedish navy about 13 kilometers from the carrier. The incident is described as a serious violation of Swedish airspace.
On Wednesday, a Swedish navy vessel, HMS Rapp, observed a drone launching from the Russian signals intelligence ship Zhigulevsk in the Öresund during the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle's visit to Malmö. The drone approached about 13 kilometers from the carrier, prompting Swedish forces to activate countermeasures to jam it. Following analysis of technical data, the Swedish Armed Forces confirmed on Friday that the drone was Russian and that the flight was unauthorized, violating the access ordinance.
Ewa Skoog Haslum, head of the Swedish Armed Forces' operations command, described the incident as serious: “This type of action is not surprising from the Russian side but it is a serious incident that shows the importance of maintaining constant vigilance.” Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) called it “serious and irresponsible” and a violation of Swedish airspace in a post on X.
The Russian vessel was escorted by the navy out of Swedish territorial waters and is now in the Baltic Sea. Russia expert Johan Norberg at FOI noted that the incident fits a larger pattern of Russian hybrid warfare: “Russia constantly tests boundaries” and it could be a way to gather intelligence or signal displeasure with European support for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitrij Peskov dismissed the accusations as absurd.
A separate incident occurred on Friday when police stopped a drone near the carrier and suspected a man in his 60s of violating the air navigation act, though he denies any wrongdoing.
