CIA alert on possible Russian sabotage operation in Europe

Is Russia preparing a new sabotage operation targeting the heart of Europe? A report sent by the CIA to European foreign ministries informs them of a possible Russian drone operation against their strategic sites, according to the Spanish daily El Mundo. The French, Spanish and Italian governments would have been specifically warned of the possibility of an attack on their soil. The media quotes a source close to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, who indicates that these would be “drones launched from the sea, hidden in a container”.

The type of drone likely to be used against France, Spain or Italy is a Gerbera, two meters long, with a wingspan of 2.50 meters. This projectile, weighing up to 18 kilos, can reach a speed of 160 km/h and a maximum range of 600 kilometers. Launched a few hundred kilometers from the coast, a flight would last one to two hours. The Gerbera could, by hitting its target, cause a fire, damage critical equipment or lead to the closure of an airport... Without, however, being capable of destroying a major installation.

Several defense analysts consulted by El Mundo affirm that this very precise CIA report was taken particularly seriously by the French authorities. This warning also coincides with Emmanuel Macron's exceptional summons of party leaders to the Élysée on September 18, who alerted them to the “rapid deterioration of the international situation”. The link between these two news items, however, has not been proven. France, like Spain and Italy, is organizing elections in 2027, in which nationalist forces are participating, tempted to reduce European aid to Ukraine. According to Keir Giles, a British analyst of Russian military strategy, “Russia is watching where every action will have the greatest impact because of the lack of resilience, political fragility.”

The day after this meeting at the Élysée, the Telegram channel Rybar, close to the Russian army, published a map of the Mediterranean titled “Russian medicine against French arrogance”. A text accompanying the publication described the delivery of Geran-5 drones to Algeria, and indicated that they could reach military bases, aeronautical factories or petrochemical complexes in the south of France. As for the idea of ​​launching drones from ships, Russia has already trained on it, as reported in September 2025 by the Ukrainian media Defense Express.

The revelation of this CIA report also fuels questions surrounding the visit of the head of the powerful American intelligence service, John Ratcliff, to Moscow on August 25. The Kremlin claimed that it had come to speak with the Russian secret services. According to Politico and the Wall Street Journal, he warned them against any attack or provocation against a NATO country. This trip suggests that the Americans were already informed at that time of Russian intentions against NATO members.

Attempts to destabilize European countries supporting Ukraine have increased over the past year. In September 2025, 19 Russian military drones crossed the Polish border and entered the country's airspace. More recently, in August 2026, an attempted explosive drone attack on Leipzig airport was attributed to Russia. The objective of these sabotage activities is, most certainly, to sow discord within NATO and to worry European public opinion. Intelligence sources in the Baltic countries, contacted by El Mundo, believe that this increased aggressiveness is also aimed at responding to multiple Ukrainian attacks against Russian energy infrastructure.