Sweden confirms drone that approached French aircraft carrier was Russian

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that the Swedish military has confirmed that the drone which approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was Russian.

Jonson wrote about this on social media platform X, according to Ukrinform.

“The Swedish Armed Forces can now confirm, based on technical data, that an unauthorized drone was launched from the Russian signals intelligence vessel Zhigulevsk. The incident occurred near the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during its visit in Malmö,” Jonson said.

He added that the incident constituted a violation of Sweden’s access regulations as well as a breach of Swedish airspace.

“It is, of course, serious and irresponsible. The Swedish Armed Forces responded firmly and professionally with countermeasures that disrupted the drone,” the minister said.

As previously reported, several days ago a drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which had entered the port of Malmö, Sweden, ahead of its participation in several NATO exercises. Media outlets had described the drone as Russian, but this had not been officially confirmed at the time.

Photo: Pål Jonson / X