CIA Warns Spain, France, Italy of Russian Drone Attacks

The CIA has issued an unusual intelligence warning to Spain, France, and Italy, alerting them to potential Russian drone attacks and sabotage operations on their soil. The warning, reported by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, stems from concerns that Russia is preparing to target infrastructure and strategic sites in Western and Southern European countries, particularly those with elections scheduled for next year. Security and intelligence agencies in the targeted nations have reportedly increased their alert levels following this information. Moscow has not yet officially commented on the report.

The CIA's alert was reportedly formulated after a secret visit by CIA Director William Burns to Moscow in August. The focus is on potential disruptions in countries facing upcoming elections, suggesting a possible Russian attempt to influence political outcomes or destabilize Western alliances.

This warning comes amid broader concerns about Russian aggression in Europe. Denmark's military intelligence chief, Thomas Harding, also warned of a growing, albeit low, probability that Russia might conduct limited military attacks against NATO countries bordering Russia. He described such a move as a "desperate act" that could occur in the coming months, potentially involving long-range strikes like drone or missile attacks on infrastructure supporting Ukraine, or "false flag" operations using Ukrainian-made drones. Harding suggested Russia might also deploy a limited number of troops to a NATO border region under the pretext of protecting Russian minorities, with the aim of dividing NATO rather than conquering territory.

Recent incidents in Eastern Europe appear to corroborate these concerns. A Russian drone reportedly crashed in Moldova overnight, and Romania scrambled fighter jets following a Russian drone attack. Moldova's police found a drone with "specific elements of the 'Geran' type used by the Russian Federation" in the Florești district. Another drone entered Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before crashing near Sulța. While Romania has not directly accused Russia, its Defense Minister stated that a "clear protest" to Moscow is necessary.

Furthermore, drones were reportedly sighted over a German air force base in Schönewalde, Brandenburg, earlier in September. This base houses components of the Arrow 3 missile defense system. German investigative journalist Florian Flade reported that on September 5, a drone approximately one meter in size was observed, followed by a second drone that entered the base's airspace. This incident occurred shortly after new components for the Arrow 3 system were delivered to the base, and follows previous drone sightings over the system's radar position in December of last year.