Stockholm: Swedish military forces have intercepted a suspected Russian drone operating near a French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently docked in the port of Malmö, officials confirmed Friday.

The encounter occurred on Wednesday in the Öresund Strait, the strategic waterway separating Sweden and Denmark, while the French flagship Charles de Gaulle was visiting as part of regular NATO exercise activities. Swedish naval personnel detected the unmanned aircraft during a routine patrol and deployed electronic countermeasures to neutralise it.

"This system showed it is robust, and this event had no impact on the activity of the aircraft carrier battle group," said French military spokesperson Guillaume Vernet. He noted the drone was identified approximately 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the carrier and was handled by Swedish forces integrated into the vessel's security perimeter.

Links to Russian Naval Activity

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson told public broadcaster SVT that the drone's appearance was directly linked to a Russian military vessel present in Swedish territorial waters at the time. When questioned on the drone’s origin, Jonson stated it was "probably Russia."

The Russian ship has since moved into the Baltic Sea. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, visiting the Charles de Gaulle on Friday, reinforced this assessment, stating that "everything implies that it is a Russian violation of Swedish airspace." He characterised the incident as "serious and maybe not surprising," citing Moscow’s established opposition to Western military drills.

Kremlin Dismissal

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied any knowledge of the flight and dismissed the allegations. Peskov called it "quite absurd" for Swedish officials to connect the drone to Russia simply due to the proximity of a Russian ship.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, also present at the Malmö port, emphasised that the carrier's safety was never compromised but noted that if the drone were proved to be Russian, it would constitute a "ridiculous provocation."

Context of Hybrid Threats

The incident comes amid warnings from Western intelligence officials that Russia is conducting a sustained campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. According to an Associated Press database, more than 100 such incidents have been documented since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Security analysts believe these manoeuvres are designed to identify vulnerabilities in European infrastructure and divert defence resources. The Charles de Gaulle is scheduled to continue its mission in the Baltic Sea following the Malmö stopover.

With inputs from AP