Russian drone tracked one of NATO's largest aircraft carriers, military responds
Photo: French Navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (Getty Images)
A Russian drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the port of Malmö, Sweden, where the flagship had arrived for exercises. The military responded to the incident, according to SVT Nyheter.
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The drone was reportedly launched from a nearby vessel. It approached the French Navy aircraft carrier before Swedish forces used electronic warfare measures to disable it.
The drone disappeared from the scene, and it remains unclear whether it returned to the Russian ship it came from or fell into the sea.
Charles de Gaulle is the world’s largest non-US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, measuring more than 260 meters in length. It can carry thousands of personnel and up to 30 fighter jets.
The vessel is currently docked in Malmö.
Drone provocations in Europe
As Russia expands production of various unmanned systems, drone-related incidents across Europe are no longer rare. While such cases were isolated before September 2025, large-scale drone incursions into Poland that month were followed by increasingly frequent sightings of unidentified aerial objects across the EU, prompting military and government responses.
In Germany alone, more than 1,000 drones flying over military facilities were recorded over the past year. Tracking NATO vessels with drones or conducting maneuvers over European infrastructure has also become increasingly routine.
Moscow has denied drone provocations in Europe despite ongoing drone modernization and expanded mass production.
