Nocturnal 
The CIA has reportedly warned three of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations that Russia is plotting drone strikes launched from disguised civilian ships.
According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, US intelligence has shared specific details with Spain, France and Italy suggesting Moscow could use merchant vessels sailing through the Mediterranean to smuggle explosive-laden drones close to European shores, before launching them at land targets.
What the CIA is warning about
The drones in question are reportedly “Gerbera” models, roughly two metres long with a 2.5-metre wingspan and a range of up to 600km. Compared with the larger Shahed drones used extensively against Ukraine, Gerberas are smaller and easier to catapult from a ship’s deck, though their payload is lighter, estimated at just 4-5kg of explosives.
The theory is that a disguised container ship could launch from international waters roughly 200 to 300km off the coast, putting the drones within one to two hours of reaching infrastructure on land, according to The Brussels Times. Security sources say the goal wouldn’t be mass destruction but disruption, such as forcing an airport shut or starting fires at coastal facilities.
The warning is said to draw comparisons with Ukraine’s “Spiderweb” operation, in which drones smuggled into Russia in trucks were used to strike military aircraft. An unnamed source linked to Lithuania’s defence ministry has also suggested the plot could be tied to a reported visit by CIA director John Ratcliffe to Moscow in August, during which he is said to have warned the Kremlin against provoking NATO.
Governments push back on the claims
Not everyone is convinced the alert is genuine. French President Emmanuel Macron directly denied being warned by the CIA, telling broadcasters France 2 and TF1: “We can deny this piece of information; the CIA did not inform France of this information.”
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto was similarly dismissive, posting on X that the alarm “serves no one and is not confirmed”. At the time of writing, none of the claims have been officially confirmed by the CIA itself, and the story is based on reporting from a single Spanish outlet.
Why the timing matters
The warning comes weeks after a Russian drone strike hit a train near the Poland-Ukraine border that may have been targeting former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ex-CIA director David Petraeus, according to Ukrainian Railways. Johnson was reportedly on a diplomatic train that had left Yahodyn station earlier than scheduled, with the following service struck roughly a mile from the Polish border.
Ukraine’s foreign minister called the strike “Putin’s terror knocking directly on the doors of the EU and Nato”. Johnson himself described the attack as “terroristic” and questioned Putin’s “warped logic” for hitting what he called a “stationary civilian shunting locomotive”.
For anyone caught in a drone strike, the experience is reportedly harrowing. Ukrainian drone operator Pavlo previously told the BBC that “you cannot hide from the FPV, and to run is useless… you try to be as calm as possible, and you pray.” He described a persistent buzzing sound, often compared to bees or a lawnmower, that can linger long after combat as a form of trauma medics call “droneophobia”.
Where things stand now
As it stands, the claims remain unconfirmed by the CIA and disputed by French and Italian officials. Spanish authorities have not publicly denied the report. With no official confirmation either way, holidaymakers heading to Spain, France or Italy have no cause to change travel plans, but the episode underlines growing anxiety across Europe about Russia’s willingness to escalate its shadow campaign beyond Ukraine’s borders.
