Russia Conducts Extensive Drone Espionage on NATO Nuclear Bases Using Oil Tankers

A recent intelligence report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reveals a significant Russian espionage campaign targeting NATO's sensitive nuclear facilities in Europe. Between August 2024 and February 2026, Russian forces used a "shadow fleet" of old oil tankers as mobile launch platforms for miniature drones, conducting 144 incursions into the airspace of 13 European countries without interception. These drones operated under a tactic called "dark sailing," where the tankers sailed in international waters with navigation and tracking systems turned off, enabling the drones to evade NATO's air defense radars designed for larger conventional threats.

The campaign focused on key strategic nuclear sites, including RAF Lakenheath in the UK, which is being prepared to host American nuclear bombs; the Île Longue submarine base in Brittany, France, central to France's nuclear deterrent; and the Kleine Brogel and Volkel airbases in Belgium and the Netherlands, where tactical nuclear weapons are stored. The operation aimed to map NATO's nuclear capabilities, identify air defense vulnerabilities, and test Western response times to emergencies.

The report highlights a critical failure in NATO's air defense systems, which were unable to detect or neutralize the small, slow drones disguised by civilian maritime activity. This hybrid warfare tactic poses a new security challenge for Europe, forcing countries like Poland and the United States to establish permanent military bases in the region. The psychological impact on European leaders is significant, exposing vulnerabilities in their most secure military installations.

While some nations, such as Romania, are acquiring advanced Israeli air defense systems to address these gaps, the report underscores the urgent need for NATO to develop countermeasures against low-cost, sophisticated drone threats exploiting weaknesses in current defense technologies. The revelations mark a new phase in security threats, blending covert intelligence gathering with hybrid warfare below the threshold of open conflict.