WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The CIA reportedly warned European countries of a suspected Russian plot to launch Gerbera drones from commercial vessels in the Mediterranean.
- El Mundo identified Spain, France and Italy as possible targets, though its report has not been independently corroborated.
- The drones reportedly could be hidden in containers and launched from international waters toward NATO countries.
- Austria has begun a major exercise involving 300 soldiers, missiles, cannons and electronic warfare measures.
The CIA warned European countries about a suspected Russian plot to launch Gerbera drones from commercial vessels operating in the Mediterranean, according to a report by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
The report, published late Wednesday local time, relied on testimony from an anonymous Lithuanian intelligence source.
El Mundo said the suspected operation could target Spain, France or Italy.
Under the reported scenario, drones would launch from international waters in the Mediterranean and fly toward coastal targets.
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The journey could take one or two hours, depending on where the commercial vessels were positioned.
El Mundo reported that the Gerbera was selected because its compact dimensions would make concealment easier.
The drone has a wingspan of 2.5 meters and a maximum range of 600 kilometers, depending on its load and environmental conditions.
The Gerbera can carry a relatively small warhead capable of starting a fire or destroying exposed infrastructure components.
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Such attacks also could cause political and economic turmoil, according to the report.
The drones reportedly would be transported aboard the vessels while hidden inside containers. Concealing the systems in containers was described as being “not difficult at all,” before the drones would be launched by catapult toward NATO members in the western Mediterranean.
Lithuania and other European countries reportedly learned of the suspected threat shortly after the CIA director traveled secretly and without prior announcement to Moscow.
The director flew aboard a U.S. military plane on Aug. 25.
El Mundo also reported that a key CIA assessment was rumored to be circulating among European leaders in the middle of September.
That development coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to convene the Defense Council on Sept. 16.
Two days later, Macron summoned all French party leaders and the 2027 presidential candidates to the Élysée Palace. El Mundo linked those meetings to the period when the CIA report was reportedly circulating, but the newspaper’s broader account has not been independently corroborated.
Concerns about possible Russian kinetic action have grown significantly across European capitals this year amid sabotage and hybrid warfare activity generally attributed to Moscow.
Russian drone violations along NATO’s eastern airspace have become increasingly common, prompting alliance fighter jets to shoot down intruding unmanned aircraft in several instances.
A year ago, 19 unarmed Russian drones entered Polish airspace in what the report described as the largest airspace violation to date. The incident was widely assessed as a deliberate provocation and a test of NATO’s response.
European policy circles have long suspected that drones could be launched from Russian merchant ships.
Coastal sightings of unidentified unmanned aircraft have sometimes coincided with the presence of Russian shadow fleet vessels.
In February, a Swedish Navy vessel detected and jammed a drone taking off from a Russian intelligence ship in the Öresund Strait.
The incident coincided with a visit to Sweden by the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Another development came in early August, when authorities found a drone carrying explosives near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft.
In a separate incident, an aircraft collided with a drone in the air at Germany’s Leipzig airport, a major freight hub in the NATO country.
Following an investigation lasting one month, German authorities officially attributed the attack to Russia.
The developments added to concerns already surrounding unexplained drone activity and suspected Russian operations across Europe.
On Sept. 19, the major Russian aligned Telegram channel Rybar published a map titled “Russian medicine against French arrogance.”
El Mundo reported that the map suggested providing Algeria with Geran-5 drones to strike French aeronautical factories, military bases, nuclear plants and petrochemical sites.
Countries outside NATO are also increasing their preparations. Austria, a landlocked European country, has launched a “large exercise” focused on counter drone measures and air defense, Austrian public media reported Thursday.
The Austrian drill involves 300 soldiers deployed across several townships in eastern Austria.
Forces participating in the exercise are using Mistral ground to air missiles, 35 millimeter cannons and electronic warfare measures as part of the military’s preparedness training.
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