France calls a drone incident near its carrier in Sweden a ‘ridiculous provocation’ if Russian, as Moscow dismisses the claim as absurd.
MALMÖ: France’s foreign minister has labelled a potential Russian drone incident near a French aircraft carrier in Sweden a “ridiculous provocation”.
Jean-Noel Barrot made the statement aboard the Charles de Gaulle after Swedish authorities reported jamming a drone 13 kilometres from the vessel.
Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said the drone was “probably” of Russian origin, noting a nearby Russian military ship.
Barrot stressed the neutralised drone posed no real threat to the carrier’s security.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson reiterated the belief it was a Russian drone during a visit to the carrier.
He stated the incident during the carrier’s visit was not a coincidence but a recognised Russian tactic.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegation as “quite an absurd statement”.
The Swedish navy jammed the drone using electronic signals to disrupt its connection or navigation.
The French carrier group was in Malmö for its first port call before joining NATO exercises.
The Baltic Sea is a known theatre of rivalry between Russia and NATO alliance countries.
NATO’s eastern members have reported numerous recent drone sightings, often blaming Russia.
The incident raises concerns about hybrid war tactics four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.