The Russian Federation utilized a "shadow fleet" for drone launches over NATO nuclear bases.
NATO Base (Illustrative Photo)
Russian intelligence monitored nuclear and military bases in Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands for eighteen months. To achieve this, Russians launched drones from their civilian vessels, part of the so-called shadow fleet.
This was reported by The Guardian.
Analysts examined 144 incidents across over a dozen NATO countries and Ireland, commencing in late 2024. According to experts, Russian intelligence, likely under GRU direction, operated with "considerable impunity," exploiting strategic gaps in the Alliance’s defense systems.
"In our assessment, the Kremlin very likely conducted a coordinated campaign using unmanned aerial vehicles over Europe," stated Charlie Edwards, a senior fellow at IISS.
He added that these actions were a success for the Kremlin and a failure for the allies, as their defenses are unprepared to counter cheap, small drones at low altitudes. Moscow’s objective was to surveil nuclear facilities, study military routes, and exert psychological pressure.
Among the primary targets of Russia’s unarmed drones, launched from the sea, were:
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Great Britain: Lakenheath airbase, which housed American nuclear weapons in July 2025, and Fairford.
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France: The nuclear submarine base on the Île Longue in Brittany.
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Belgium and the Netherlands: Kleine-Brogel and Volkel airbases, where U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are stored.
Civilian vessels and tankers with disabled tracking devices were used for launches. Notably, in September 2025, Copenhagen Airport in Denmark was temporarily closed due to drone detections. French military personnel then detained one of the suspect tankers, named "Boracay." Two Russian citizens, employed by the Russian private military company Moran Security Group, were found aboard.
"The identification of two Russian private military contractors confirmed the militarization of shadow fleet tankers not as a hypothesis, but as an operational practice," the IISS report emphasizes.
Spying incidents were also recorded in September and November 2025 in Germany, and in December of the same year, four drones flew over an Irish Navy vessel following a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European governments were hesitant to lodge official accusations against Moscow for an extended period. However, as Charlie Edwards noted, "Every government we spoke to said they would welcome the report’s publication." According to analysts, the intensity of these launches only decreased in 2026 when European navies began detaining vessels from Russia’s "shadow fleet."
For context, Ukraine asserts its lawful right to attack Russia’s "shadow fleet," which aids in funding the war. Kyiv is striving to establish that such vessels can be classified as military assets.
Previously, we reported that on June 14, **British military forces intercepted a tanker from Russia’s "shadow fleet" in the English Channel**. Former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described this operation as another blow to the financing of Putin’s war against Ukraine and thanked the military for safeguarding the nation’s security.
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