A new report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reveals that Russia has employed a shadow fleet of old sanction-busting vessels to launch a series of drone incursions targeting NATO military bases and nuclear sites across Europe. Between August 2024 and February 2026, 144 suspected drone flights were recorded near sensitive locations in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark, as well as over American air bases in the UK in November 2024.

The shadow fleet, including vessels like the Arctica which sailed along the Danish coast in March 2025, has been used as a platform to bring various types of drones closer to European countries. These operations appear designed to test the reaction times of NATO allies' air defenses and to gauge how European countries might respond in a real crisis.

According to Ret, a source cited in the report, "There's no doubt in my mind that the Russians are using the shadow fleet vessels as a platform to get different types of drones in closer to various European countries." The drone activities have forced repeated closures of major commercial aviation hubs, disrupted military operations, and penetrated the perimeters of some of Europe’s most sensitive defense installations.

The campaign also seems aimed at creating psychological pressure by generating anxiety among populations, potentially influencing public opinion against supporting Ukraine. "But also psychologically to create a lot of anxiety in populations to scare them so that they would put pressure on their governments not to support Ukraine," the report notes.

In the United States, unauthorized aircraft appeared over Virginia's Joint Base Langley-Eustis for 17 consecutive days in December 2023, evading military tracking and prompting the Pentagon to deploy specialized assets, including a NASA WB-57 high-altitude jet, to investigate. Additionally, panicked drone sightings near critical infrastructure along the U.S. East Coast in late 2024 led to the Trump administration ordering the declassification of investigations, which concluded most drones were hobbyist-operated with no evidence of foreign threats.

As NATO allies prepare to meet in Turkey, drone warfare and Russia's testing of NATO's defenses are expected to be key agenda items.

Sources

  • Fox News Latest
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) report

Notable Quotes

  • "There's no doubt in my mind that the Russians are using the shadow fleet vessels as a platform to get different types of drones in closer to various European countries," said Ret.
  • "Whoever is doing it is testing the reaction of the authorities, is testing how the public will respond, will they panic, will they blame their politicians and the authorities."
  • "Also they are testing perhaps to see how we as European countries or how European countries might react in a real crisis there."
  • "Forcing repeated closures of major commercial aviation hubs, disrupting military operations and penetrating the perimeters of some of Europe’s most sensitive defence installations."
  • "But also psychologically to create a lot of anxiety in populations to scare them so that they would put pressure on their governments not to support Ukraine."