Russian drones spotted near EU nuclear facility were just false alarm - Reuters
Dozens of reported airspace violations turned out to be false (Photo: Getty Images)
The Italian prosecutor’s office, after reviewing dozens of alleged incidents of Russian drones flying over the European Joint Research Centre (JRC), has determined that the threat was imaginary, reports Reuters.
The investigation found that the JRC nuclear facility’s security system produced false alerts due to a standard GSM signal booster in a nearby private residence.
This device created interference that the facility’s automated systems mistakenly interpreted as the presence of drones nearby.
“The investigation showed the repeated false positives were due to overlapping interference between the centre's own security system and sporadic activity from the GSM amplifier in a nearby home,” the case documents state.
The JRC in Ispra was established in 1960 as a nuclear research facility. Today, it focuses on space security, migration, and transport, and any flights over its territory are strictly prohibited.
Despite NATO regularly recording attempts at sabotage and hybrid attacks from Russia, the JRC incident has been classified by the Italian judiciary as a technical error. A judge at the Milan court will now issue a final ruling on closing the case.
Drones over EU countries
In 2025, Germany recorded a sharp increase in unauthorized drone activity. According to the WSJ, law enforcement agencies have logged over a thousand such incidents since the beginning of the year.
At the same time, drone activity has recently been observed in several European countries, particularly near airports. In Brussels and Liège, the appearance of drones has caused significant disruptions to air traffic.
In response, the Chief of Staff of the Belgian Army, Frédéric Vansina, ordered the military to neutralize suspicious drones, but only when there is no risk to civilians or critical infrastructure.
Similar incidents have also occurred in Sweden, where drone activity has temporarily halted airport operations.
In Germany, authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the rise in drone activity could be linked to discussions about using frozen Russian assets held at the Belgian financial institution Euroclear to provide aid to Ukraine.
