Those mysterious drones buzzing European airports and military bases? They might be coming from Russian ships.
That’s the conclusion of a new report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a UK-based think tank. They used maritime tracking data to connect Russian-linked vessels to more than 140 drone sightings across Europe.
The timeline spans August 2024 to February 2026. A dozen NATO countries plus Ireland were affected. Almost half the sightings happened over military bases. A quarter targeted critical infrastructure — ports, energy facilities. About 18% occurred over civilian airports.
Most flights happened at night or before sunrise. The drones were described as “professional” or “military-style.” Not your neighbor’s hobby quadcopter.
The IISS doesn’t claim every sighting was Russian. But the pattern lines up with Kremlin objectives: probe allied defenses, test response mechanisms, normalize airspace violations just below the threshold of armed conflict.
One incident was directly confirmed. In February 2026, Sweden’s military spotted and jammed a drone launched from the Russian signals intelligence vessel Zhigulevsk in Swedish waters. The launch happened while a French aircraft carrier was nearby.
Possible drone candidates include the Merlin-VR, a fixed-wing drone launched by shipboard catapult and recovered by parachute. Russia also has VTOL drones that need minimal deck space. Or they could be modified commercial drones to avoid attribution.
The report makes one thing clear: Europe isn’t ready for this.
