Swedish forces disrupt Russian drone near French aircraft carrier in Malmo

ISTANBUL

Swedish forces disrupted a Russian drone Thursday that approached the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier while it was docked in the southern city of Malmo, the French news broadcaster BFMTV reported.

The drone was detected and intercepted at approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the port of Malmo, where the French warship is making a stop as part of its North Atlantic deployment.

The unmanned aerial vehicle had taken off from a nearby Russian vessel and flown toward the aircraft carrier before being identified by the Swedish Armed Forces, according to Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

Swedish forces launched electronic countermeasures, jamming the drone and causing it to disappear from radar. It remains unclear whether the drone returned to the Russian ship or crashed into the sea.

The aircraft carrier is in Malmo as part of its ongoing “Lafayette 26” mission in the North Atlantic, after departing from Toulon on Jan. 27.

During its deployment, scheduled to last until May, the French naval task group is set to participate in several multinational exercises, including NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission in the Baltic Sea, aimed at deterring threats to undersea infrastructure following cable incidents attributed to Moscow.