\n<\/p>\n
STOCKHOLM (AP) \u2014 The Swedish military has intercepted a suspected Russian drone off the south of the country as a French aircraft carrier was docked in the port of Malm\u00f6, officials say.<\/p>\n
The armed forces said on Thursday that a Swedish naval ship observed the suspected drone during a patrol in the \u00d6resund, the strait that divides Sweden from Denmark.<\/p>\n
They said that unspecified countermeasures were taken to disrupt the drone, and that contact with the drone was then lost.<\/p>\n
The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier<\/a> Charles de Gaulle is in the southern Swedish city of Malm\u00f6 this week as part of regular NATO exercise activities. Malm\u00f6 is located on the \u00d6resund, opposite the Danish capital of Copenhagen.<\/p>\n French military spokesperson Guillaume Vernet told The Associated Press that the drone was detected on Wednesday and handled by Swedish forces integrated into a security system around the carrier. He said Friday that the drone was more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Charles de Gaulle.<\/p>\n \u201cThis system showed it is robust, and this event had no impact on the activity of the aircraft carrier battle group,\u201d Vernet said.<\/p>\n Swedish Defense Minister P\u00e5l Jonson told public broadcaster SVT Thursday evening that the suspected violation of Swedish airspace by a drone happened in connection with a Russian military ship being in Swedish territorial waters. Asked what country he thinks the drone belongs to, he replied: \u201cProbably Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n The Russian ship continued into the Baltic Sea, and Swedish authorities have been in close contact with Denmark about the incident, Jonson said. The armed forces said no further drones were observed.<\/p>\n Western officials say Russia is masterminding a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. An Associated Press database<\/a> has documented well over 100 incidents.<\/p>\n Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign \u2014 waged since President Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 \u2014 aims to deprive Kyiv of support<\/a>, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe\u2019s weak spots<\/a> and suck up law enforcement resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n