European Security and Defense

Sweden’s armed forces say they electronically jammed a suspected Russian drone on Feb. 25 as it approached the French nuclear‑powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle while the ship was docked in Malmö for NATO exercise LA FAYETTE 26. According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, the drone was believed to have been launched from a nearby Russian vessel and was detected by a Swedish Navy ship patrolling the Öresund Strait before Swedish operators used electronic countermeasures to disrupt its control link. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson told SVT the drone 'probably' came from Russia given the Russian military ship in the area, and French General Staff spokesman Col. Guillaume Vernet confirmed a Swedish system jammed a drone about seven nautical miles from the carrier without affecting operations on board. It remains unclear whether the craft crashed or returned to its launch vessel. The incident comes amid heightened NATO–Russia tensions—hours after Poland scrambled jets in response to Russian strikes on Ukraine and as Vladimir Putin issues fresh nuclear warnings—and adds to mounting concern over Russian drone and electronic probing of Western military assets, including alliance naval forces operating in the Baltic Sea. Security analysts and social‑media commentators are treating the episode as another gray‑zone test of NATO defenses below the threshold of open conflict, reinforcing calls to harden counter‑drone and EW coverage around high‑value ships and ports.