Zelensky: Russians are using tankers to launch drones over Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian Federation is using tankers to launch and control drones that are directed against European countries.

He said this in an evening address on September 28.

According to the president, Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate such steps by the Russians.

"This is yet another indication that the Baltic Sea and other seas should be closed to Russian tankers, at least for the shadow fleet," Zelensky stressed.

The Shadow Fleet is a network of oil tankers that Russia created to circumvent international sanctions imposed over its aggression against Ukraine. This fleet allows the Kremlin to continue exporting oil, including to China and India, even after restrictions were imposed on Russian oil imports to the EU.

Violation of NATO airspace by Russia

On the night of September 10, Polish airspace was violated by Russian drones during Russiaʼs attack on Ukraine. This was the first time that Polish aviation shot down drones over its territory.

On the evening of September 13, Russian drones once again flew into Romanian territory. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the drone entered Romanian territory by almost 10 km and was in the airspace of a NATO country for approximately 50 minutes.

Drone debris was also found on the beaches of Bulgaria and Latvia.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland without permission on September 19 and remained there for a total of 12 minutes.

On September 23, the main airport in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, was closed for four hours because of drones. Denmark called the incident the most serious attack on its critical infrastructure and linked it to a series of Russian drone incursions and other violations across Europe.

That same night, drones were spotted over Norway’s main airport.

On the night of September 26, unidentified drones were spotted over the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark. At the same time, drones were recorded near a Swedish naval base. Against this backdrop, Germany announced the creation of a new Drone Protection Center.

On September 27, Lithuania, Denmark and Finland also reported sightings of unidentified drones in their airspace. In Finland, an unidentified drone was launched over the Valayaskoski power plant in Rovaniemi. In Denmark, drones were spotted over several Armed Forces facilities. And in Lithuania, three drones were flying near Vilnius airport.

On September 28, unknown drones were again spotted near military facilities in Denmark.

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