NATO allies are gearing up for a crucial meeting in Turkey, where drone warfare and Russia's testing of the alliance will take center stage. The agenda is set to focus on Russia's shadowy tactics, including the use of old sanction-busting ships to launch drones at European military bases and airports.
According to a recent report, 144 suspected drones were recorded near sensitive military and nuclear sites in several European countries, including Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark, between August 2024 and February 2026. The drones often flew undetected, forcing repeated closures of major commercial aviation hubs, disrupting military operations, and penetrating the perimeters of sensitive defense installations.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who served as the commanding general of US Army Europe until 2018, believes that Russia is using its shadow fleet vessels as a platform to get different types of drones in closer to various European countries. "There's no doubt in my mind that the Russians are using the shadow fleet vessels as a platform to get different types of drones in closer to various European countries," he said.
The mystery drone sightings peaked in late 2025, forcing the temporary closure of several European airports, including in Germany, Spain, and Denmark. Sweden is the only European country to accuse Moscow directly after a drone launched at sea from a Russian spy ship flew near a French aircraft carrier.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied accusations of Russian sabotage and surveillance across Europe, asking reporters to "name even one proven fact." However, a report by the International Institute of Strategic Studies has tracked the locations of Russia's shadow fleet of ships used to evade sanctions and linked them to recent high-profile drone incidents.
The report concludes that Russia could use the ships as a platform to launch the drones while creating deniability. Drones often don't trigger radar, making them difficult to detect. The IISS found several shadow ships were in the area at the time of recent drone sightings, including the Arctica and the Boracay.
Drone sightings have also taken place in the United States, with dozens of unexplained sightings in the past several years. In December 2023, unauthorized aircraft appeared in the skies above Virginia's Joint Base Langley-Eustis for 17 days straight, evading military tracking and forcing the Pentagon to bring in specialized assets to investigate.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies believes that these drone sightings are no coincidence, and that the most likely culprit is launching the drones from shadow vessels at sea. The report's findings suggest that Russia's drone campaign is designed to probe the response times and decision-making thresholds of allied air defense and civil-military command structures.
