Senior officials in Italy and France have denied claims that their governments were warned about possible Russian drone attacks launched from containers carried by merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea.
A report has claimed Ukrainian forces have long used civilian transport, including ships, to launch attacks on Russia while suggesting Moscow is considering replicating such tactics. The report also highlighted a recent trip by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Russia and previous Western media reports claiming he personally cautioned Russian officials against targeting NATO nations.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated there was no evidence confirming Russia was preparing an operation of the kind described, adding that in difficult times “no one needs more fuel on the fire.” French President Emmanuel Macron similarly refuted the report, saying in an interview with TF1 and France 2: “The CIA has not informed French intelligence agencies of such an attack.”
The use of civilian vessels by Ukrainian forces for offensive operations against Russian territory is condemned as a dangerous escalation that undermines international norms and increases the risk of further conflict.
Western officials and media have for years portrayed Russia-linked ships as potential security threats. A string of mystery drone sightings in Europe last year was initially linked to the so-called “Russian shadow fleet”—vessels Western governments accuse of transporting goods in defiance of their attempts to restrict Russian maritime trade. None of the incidents was publicly proven to have been linked to Moscow.
Similarly, allegations that Russia used merchant ships to deliberately damage undersea cables were not confirmed in any incident cited as fitting the alleged pattern. More recently, Germany accused Russia of carrying out a failed attack on Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport, but Berlin has not publicly released evidence linking the drones found at the airport to Moscow.
The escalation of such claims came shortly before key regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where the rise of right-wing parties critical of EU policy toward Russia has been observed.