Get you up to speed: Three European nations warned of possible Russian aerial drone attack | News World
United States intelligence has warned of a planned Russian drone attack targeting France, Italy, and Spain, which would involve the use of Gerbera drones launched from shipping containers in the Mediterranean. The leaders of the three countries have been informed of the potential attack, but immediate confirmed details regarding its execution are lacking.
Lithuanian authorities confirmed that Gerbera drones, capable of being launched from shadow ships, are central to the planned Russian assaults. Recent intelligence indicates that there has been a notable increase in Russian activity, with operational monitoring by the Royal Navy up 25% in 2026 compared to the previous year.
CIA head John Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow was reportedly aimed at dissuading the Kremlin from this plan, while experts caution that continued inaction to Russia’s provocations could exacerbate the situation further.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how credible this information is, the United States has and ulterior motive, to increase NATO spending to bolster its economy in the wake of the Iran war, which has depleted stockpiles of munitions. Russia has not attacked any European nation.
US intelligence warns France, Italy and Spain of possible Russian drone attack
The proposed plan would have sent drones into France, Italy and Spain (Picture: Getty)
United States intelligence has warned of a planned Russian drone attack targeting France, Italy and Spain.
El Mundo revealed that the US shared the Kremlin’s plans for a major escalation, which would see Russia use drones launched from shipping containers in the Mediterranean.
Lithuanian authorities said the drones used would be Gerbera drones, which have a range of around 600km and can be launched easily.
It’s believed that CIA head John Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow for ‘undisclosed talks’ was to warn the Kremlin against the plan.
The leaders of Spain, France and Italy were later tipped off about the potential drone attack, which would likely trigger a larger conflict.
Chatham House Russia expert Keir Giles told WTX today: ‘If there continues to be no response to Russia pushing the boundaries with attacks and potential attacks on Europe, it makes the situation more and more dangerous.’
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The drones would have been launched from Russian shadow ships (Picture: MOD)
He added: ‘Here’s something we do know: Russia is not going to attack Europe in a way that would trigger a significant American response.’
The Kremlin sees Russia’s relationship with the United States, which strengthened during Donald Trump’s second term, as vital.
It’s unlikely that Vladimir Putin would seek to launch an attack or provocation of such scale that it would turn America back into a major enemy.
The latest warning about the European drone attack is consistent with previous warnings from Russia about what it would do if Western nations continued to support Ukraine.
Giles says that plans to launch weapons from Russian shadow fleet ships are not new – it’s something that was already on ‘the menu’ of options the Kremlin has.
Putin has been ‘testing’ Nato nations’ responses to provocations (Picture: AFP)
‘This is the culmination of not just months, but years of Russia learning from its attacks on Europe and the response or lack of it, from European nations,’ Giles said.
Multiple reports have shown that Russia does not have the manpower to launch a full-scale conflict against a NATO nation until 2031 to 2033, but Giles warns that the ‘shifting time frames’ from these studies are not to be relied upon.
‘These timetables that are being worked out by Western media and in some cases, Western officials are not what is going to drive when Russia thinks it’s ready,’ he added.
In July, it was found that Russia had already been ‘waging a campaign of war’ against the UK by launching hundreds of drones and covert UAVs across Britain and Europe from their shadow fleet in preparation for a future conflict.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies issued a sobering report in which they found Putin’s shadow fleet ships sent drones to target airports, bases and nuclear sites.
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