Overview
- The IISS report, published July 2, 2026, compiles 144 drone incidents across 13 European states recorded between August 2024 and February 2026.
- About half of the sightings occurred over military sites and the pattern clustered near nuclear deterrence facilities such as Kleine-Brogel, Volkel and Île Longue.
- The campaign forced repeated airport closures and other civilian disruptions in cities including Copenhagen, Brussels, Munich, Oslo and Vilnius.
- Investigations and interdictions offer the clearest links: French commandos found Russian private military personnel on the tanker Boracay in September 2025 and Sweden jammed a drone launched from the Russian ship Zhigulevsk on February 26, 2026.
- IISS says incidents fell sharply after European states began boarding and searching shadow-fleet vessels in early 2026 but warns that uneven detection, slow attribution and limited legal authority leave the maritime launch threat intact and complicate long-term deterrence.