The Kremlin spent 18 months monitoring nuclear facilities in the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, using drones launched from ships in a shadowy fleet.
This conclusion was reached by analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), who analyzed 144 incidents in more than ten countries that occurred since the end of 2024, The Guardian reports.
Drones have been spotted repeatedly over military air bases and airports, but none have been shot down or captured by Western militaries. This has demonstrated the strategic failure of NATO air defense systems, which analysts say is now effectively recognized in Europe.
Among the sites over which the drones were flown were the British RAF Lakenheath air base in Suffolk, which was being prepared to house American nuclear weapons, and the French nuclear submarine base on the island of Ile-Long in Brittany. It is believed that the unarmed drones were launched directly from the sea.
Russia is believed to have used several drone models during this campaign, although none have been definitively identified. One possible variant is the Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone, which has a range of up to 480 kilometers and can stay airborne for approximately 12 hours, allowing it to be launched and controlled from a considerable distance from the target.
Where did Russian drones fly?
Great Britain
In late November 2024, unidentified drones were flying at low altitude over Lakengate and Fairford air bases in Gloucestershire, and at least two US air bases in England. In July 2025, US nuclear weapons were deployed at Lakengate.
The drones were likely operated from the tanker Seasons 1, which was in the North Sea near Essex, or from the cargo ship Hav Dolphin, which was in the port of Halle at the time of the incidents. The same ship is suspected of being involved in drone flights over a submarine base in northern Germany in May 2025.
In one incident, a police helicopter attempted to chase drones that had entered UK airspace but aborted the operation due to safety concerns. The report said a laser-based anti-drone system was also considered, but the idea was eventually scrapped.
France
In December 2025, five drones were spotted over the French base of Ile-Long, home to the naval component of France’s nuclear forces. At the time, three Russian-linked shadow fleet ships were 100–200 kilometers off the coast, while the Hav Dolphin was about 350 kilometers away, near the Isle of Wight.
Belgium and the Netherlands
In November and December 2025, drones also penetrated the airspace over Kleine-Brogel airbase in Belgium and Volkel in the Netherlands, which house US air-based nuclear weapons. At the same time, Russian shadow fleet vessels were also present in international waters of the North Sea.
Denmark
Other cases include a series of drone flights in Denmark in September 2025, which forced the temporary closure of Copenhagen Airport and other facilities. At the time, four shadowy fleet tankers were near Denmark, including the Boracay, which French special forces seized four days later.
A few days later, Boracay was released, but during the inspection it was revealed that the ship was run by a Chinese captain and had two Russian citizens on board who worked for the Russian private military company Moran Security Group.
Ireland
Researchers also suggest that in December 2025, four drones flew over an Irish Navy ship heading towards the countryʼs coast. This happened the evening after a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the time, the Maltese-flagged vessel Vezhen was about 50 kilometers northeast of Dublin.
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