Flight · Sweden
Swedish military links drone near French carrier off Malmö to Russian ship
· Öresund, near Malmö
Reported foreign
In late February 2026 the Swedish naval vessel HMS Rapp detected a drone in the Öresund off Malmö, Sweden, during a visit by the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The drone flew near the area protecting the carrier. Accounts differ on the date: an earlier report gave 26 February, while an account citing the Swedish military dates the encounter to 25 February.
The Swedish military attributed the launch to the Russian intelligence ship Zhigulevsk, which was transiting the Öresund, and technical data were reported to link the launch to the ship. Russia rejected the allegation. The drone’s model has not been conclusively identified.
The Swedish vessel jammed or disrupted the drone, but its final fate is unknown and no shoot-down has been confirmed. No casualties were reported, and the carrier’s operations were reportedly unaffected. France commented on the incident on 27 February 2026.
Attribution and uncertainty
- Origin / operator / attribution
- Swedish military attributed launch to Russian intelligence ship Zhigulevsk; Russia rejected allegation
- Investigation / uncertainty
- Technical data reportedly linked launch to Russian ship; no confirmed kinetic shoot-down.
Sources · 3
Full record
Map positions are approximate anchors for the named place, not verified incident coordinates.
- Reported date
- 2026-02-25/26 (date discrepancy)
- Date basis
- Prior report: 26 February. Rechecked account citing Swedish military: 25 February. Do not resolve by inventing a second incident; CET.
- Location / jurisdiction
- Öresund off Malmö, Sweden; Swedish airspace/maritime area near visiting French carrier
- Event categories
- Ship-launched reconnaissance; unauthorized flight; electronic interception
- What was reported
- HMS Rapp detected drone during Charles de Gaulle visit.
- Aircraft / vessel / quantity
- 1 UAV; model not conclusively identified
- Origin / operator / attribution
- Swedish military attributed launch to Russian intelligence ship Zhigulevsk; Russia rejected allegation
- Damage / casualties / disruption
- No casualties; carrier operations reportedly unaffected
- Response / outcome
- Swedish vessel jammed/disrupted drone; final fate unknown.
- Investigation / uncertainty
- Technical data reportedly linked launch to Russian ship; no confirmed kinetic shoot-down.
- Route / entry mechanism
- Launched from ship transiting Öresund; flew near carrier-protection area
- Explosive payload
- Not reported
- Counting / links
- One encounter. Jamming, possible return to vessel and possible sea crash are not separate established events. Earlier approximate coordinate 55.6075 N, 12.8608 E was secondary/unverified.
- Research provenance
- Prior research plus export check; date discrepancy explicitly retained
Record E003. Record fields keep the register’s original wording.