CIA Warns Europe: Russia Planning Drone Attacks From Sea

The CIA has delivered an unusually detailed intelligence warning to the governments of France, Spain and Italy that Russia is planning to carry out drone attacks against targets on their soil, according to a dramatic report published Thursday.

The alert, first reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, was compiled based on sensitive intelligence gathered by American spy agencies.

According to details of the Russian plan revealed in the intelligence assessment, the operation involves launching unmanned aerial vehicles known as "Gerbera" drones. These craft, roughly two meters in length with a 2.5-meter wingspan, are capable of carrying warheads weighing several kilograms and flying hundreds of kilometers at speeds around 160 kilometers per hour.

The primary method under consideration involves concealing the launchers and aircraft inside sealed containers hidden aboard civilian merchant ships sailing Mediterranean waters. This approach provides Moscow with convenient deniability and camouflage, as the vessels appear to be ordinary commercial traffic.

Security experts note that the explosive payload of these devices is not necessarily designed to destroy massive strategic installations, but rather to strike vulnerable critical facilities, cause fires, or temporarily shut down major seaports and airports, in order to generate broad psychological, political and economic impact. This is significant given that all three countries are scheduled to hold elections in 2027, during which political forces aligned with the Kremlin may exploit the public climate.

French security officials responded to the report with extreme seriousness and classified it as entirely credible, triggering numerous assessment processes and enhanced protection around critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, European defense sources point out that southern Mediterranean nations and western coastal states are a sensitive focal point due to different defensive postures compared to eastern countries bordering the conflict zones.

The American warning comes following a secret visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow, during which a direct warning was delivered to senior Russian officials against any attempt to test NATO's resolve. The visit was based on intelligence indicating that the Kremlin perceives the United States as weakened following the war with Iran.