CIA Warns of Russian Drone Attacks Targeting Spain, France, and Italy

The United States has alerted several European governments, including Spain, France, and Italy, about a potential Russian attack using drones launched from ships. The objective is believed to be political and economic impact rather than widespread destruction.

## The Specter of Russian Drones in the Mediterranean

US intelligence has alerted several European countries, including Spain, France, and Italy, about a Russian plan to launch drone attacks from the sea. The information, shared after a visit by the CIA director to Moscow, suggests Russia might use merchant ships to conceal and launch these unmanned aerial vehicles, making them harder to detect. The primary goal of these actions is not large-scale destruction but to create political and economic impact, exploiting the fragility of European defenses and potential divisions over support for Ukraine.

Sources close to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense have detailed that the drones could be of the **Gerbera** model, an aircraft with a wingspan of about two meters and weighing up to **18 kilograms**, capable of reaching **160 kilometers per hour** with a range of up to **600 kilometers**. Its explosive payload, estimated at around **four to five kilograms**, would be sufficient to cause fires, damage exposed equipment, or temporarily disrupt operations in ports and airports. This type of attack, launched from the sea, is considered relatively simple to execute, as drones can be catapulted from a ship's deck.

The alert coincides with increased Russian aggression and rhetoric portraying Western countries as active participants in the Ukraine conflict. While Russia has so far acted below the "threshold of war" to avoid a coordinated NATO response, a campaign of sabotage against targets in countries supporting Ukraine has intensified. Incidents such as the recent armed drone attack at **Leipzig** airport, attributed to Russian intelligence, or the diversion of **19 drones** without ammunition into Polish airspace a year ago, exemplify this escalation.

## Why Spain, France, and Italy?

The selection of Spain, France, and Italy as potential targets is not coincidental. These countries face electoral campaigns and elections in **2027**, a time when radical forces could exploit antiestéticar and fatigue generated by the war in Ukraine. Particularly in France and Italy, there are political connections or positions perceived as close to the Kremlin's interests. The intervention of French leftist candidate **Jean-Luc Mélenchon**, who attributed the intensification of the Russian threat to Ukraine's "long-range attacks" on Russian territory, illustrates this dynamic.

Defense analysts point out that geographical distance does not guarantee security. The target could be "Europe's weakest point," regardless of its proximity to the Russian border. Countries like the UK or Spain, which have not invested sufficiently in integrated air and missile defense systems, are considered vulnerable. The main objective of a Gerbera drone attack launched from a merchant ship would be to demonstrate Russia's capability to reach the European rear and exploit a lack of resilience and political fragility.

Russia's strategy of launching drones from the sea has already been explored and practiced. In **2020**, the Russian company **ZALA**, linked to the Kalashnikov concern, conducted demonstration launches from moving vessels. In October **2024**, these experiments resumed from a maritime platform. Furthermore, in February, a Swedish naval unit detected a drone taking off from a Russian intelligence ship in the **Öresund** strait, while the French aircraft carrier **Charles de Gaulle** was in the area. These incidents, along with the firing of flares by a Russian warship at a Danish helicopter in the Baltic on **September 14**, indicate increasing military and provocative activity in European waters.

## The Mediterranean as a New Frontier

In Russian military circles, the southern flank of the Mediterranean is presented as a route to threaten France. An influential Telegram channel, **Rybar**, published a map of the Mediterranean on **September 19** under the title "Russian medicine against French arrogance," suggesting the supply of Geran-5 drones to Algeria and their potential reach to aeronautical factories, military bases, nuclear power plants, and petrochemical complexes in southern France. This operation resembles the Ukrainian "Spider web" strategy, where drones hidden in truck containers were deployed near Russian airfields.

The intensification of Russian sabotage activities aims to reduce support for Ukraine, provoke divisions within NATO, and alarm the European population. Poland also possesses similar information, with warnings from its Prime Minister **Donald Tusk** about potential Russian attacks. Lithuanian Foreign Minister **Kestutis Budrys** emphasizes the need to avoid consequences, as Russia "will not hide." The possibility of Gerbera drones traveling with disassembled wings inside a container, or placed diagonally, facilitates their transport and preparation on deck. A Gerbera-2 drone recovered off the Polish coast carried a fragmentation warhead with a detonator and about **four kilograms of explosives**, although its origin as a naval launch was not confirmed.

The tactic of launching drones from maritime platforms is not exclusive to Russia; Ukraine also employs it. Some analysts suggest it could be a response to Ukrainian actions. A source close to the Kremlin warned of an intention to punish Europe for its support of Kyiv.