The drone that tried to approach a French aircraft carrier was launched from a Russian ship. The reaction of the Swedish army
The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, anchored in the Swedish port of Malmo Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
The drone neutralized by the Swedish army not far from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is docked in Malmo, is of Russian origin, the Swedish armed forces confirmed on Friday after carrying out a technical investigation, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.
The Russian intelligence vessel Zhigulevsk was sailing in Swedish territorial waters at the time, according to the military.
“The Swedish ship HMS Rapp, which was in the area to protect and monitor the (French) naval air group, approached the Russian ship to monitor its transit through the Oresund. On this occasion, the systems on board the Swedish ship detected drone activity nearby and activated countermeasures to disrupt the device,” the statement of the Swedish armed forces states.
Jamming a drone means disrupting the transmission between the device and its operator or depriving it of its guidance instruments using electronic warfare means.
Drone detected near the French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Quick intervention of the Swedish army
This incident took place on Wednesday, about 13 kilometers from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, in the Oresund Strait, near the city of Malmo, where the French flagship was stopping before participating in several NATO exercises.
“After analyzing the technical data, the armed forces can establish that it is a drone that has made an unauthorized flight, which constitutes a violation of the regulation on access to Swedish territory,” they said.
The head of the operations command of the armed forces, Ewa Skoog Haslum, quoted in the statement, said that “this type of behavior is not surprising on the part of Russia, but it is a serious incident that underlines the importance of maintaining constant vigilance”. She welcomed the fact that the Swedish army units “acted in an exemplary and professional manner”.
After neutralizing the drone, the Swedish Navy's patrol vessel escorted the Russian vessel Jigulevsk out of Swedish territorial waters, which is now in the Baltic Sea.
