Russian drones from the sea? What the report says
UNCONFIRMED: A Spanish newspaper says Russia could launch drones at Italy, France and Spain from ships in the Mediterranean. Rome and Paris say there is no confirmation.
On 24 September, El Mundo reported that US intelligence had warned European governments about a possible Russian operation: small drones hidden in shipping containers and launched from merchant ships at sea. The paper's source is one person, quoted anonymously and described as close to Lithuania's defence ministry. No document has been made public, and the report names no ship, date or target. The CIA has not publicly confirmed it.
Italy's defence minister, Guido Crosetto, wrote on X that the alarm "serves no one" and "has found no confirmation". In "difficult and nervous times", he added, nobody needs more fuel on the fire.
France's president, Emmanuel Macron, told French television that "the CIA did not inform France of this information". He also said an attack of this kind was plausible.
What is on record:
The drone named in the report is real. Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) lists Russia's Gerbera at up to 18 kg, with a declared range of 600 km, roughly Venice to Bari. El Mundo's own map puts all of Italy within range except the north-east.
On 27 February, Sweden disabled a drone over the Øresund strait. It says the drone came from the Russian intelligence ship Zhigulevsk, about 13 km from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
On 4 August, a drone carrying explosives was found and defused near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport. Germany's government says Russia was behind it. Moscow denies it.
In mid-September, two Italian Air Force Eurofighters shot down a drone near Kaunas, Lithuania. It had come in from Belarus.
The voice in this reel is AI-generated. The script and the fact-checking are ours.
El Mundo via ANSA (24/9), Euronews (24/9), Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (GUR), Al Jazeera (28/2, 1/9), Il Foglio (15/9).
