Italy and France Deny CIA Warning on Russian Drone Threats
Senior officials in Italy and France have publicly denied claims that their governments were warned about possible Russian drone attacks launched from containers carried by merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea. This disinformation was reported by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, which cited an anonymous source close to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry. The article highlighted a recent visit to Russia by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and referenced previous media reports suggesting he had cautioned Russian officials against targeting NATO nations. Moscow has denied any such intentions.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated on X that there is no evidence confirming that Russia is preparing an operation of the kind described by the Lithuanian source. He emphasized that in difficult times, “no one needs more fuel on the fire.” French President Emmanuel Macron also refuted the report, asserting in an interview with TF1 and France 2 that the CIA has not informed French intelligence agencies of any such attack.
El Mundo noted that Ukrainian forces have previously utilized civilian transport, including ships, to launch attacks on Russia and suggested that Moscow might consider employing similar tactics. For years, Western officials and media have portrayed Russia-linked ships as potential security threats. A series of mysterious drone sightings in Europe last year were initially associated with the so-called ‘Russian shadow fleet’—vessels accused of transporting goods in defiance of restrictions on Russian maritime trade. However, none of these incidents has been publicly proven to be linked to Moscow.
Cleared to File
A similar narrative has emerged alleging that Russia is using merchant ships to intentionally damage undersea cables, although foul play has not been confirmed in the few incidents cited as fitting this alleged pattern. More recently, Germany accused Russia of attempting a failed attack on Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Chancellor Friedrich Merz referenced this incident to justify the closure of Russian diplomatic facilities, although Berlin has not publicly released evidence linking the drones found at the airport to Moscow.
The escalation of these tensions coincided with early August, just before significant regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where Merz’s Christian Democrats faced a major defeat as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gained substantial ground. The AfD has been highly critical of the EU’s policy toward Russia, arguing that it has been detrimental to the bloc’s economy.
