Drone jammed near French aircraft carrier was probably Russian, says Sweden

38 minutes agoPaul KirbyEurope digital editorAFP via Getty ImagesThe Charles de Gaulle, equipped with Rafale fighter jets, has never docked in Sweden beforeA drone jammed by the Swedish military after it was spotted near a French aircraft carrier docked in Malmo was "probably" Russian, Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson has said.The French military said the drone was spotted seven nautical miles (13km) from the Charles de Gaulle carrier, which has never visited Sweden before and is due to take part in Nato exercises in the region.Jonson told Sweden's public broadcaster SVT there was probably a "strong link" between the drone and a Russian naval vessel in Sweden's territorial waters in the Oresund Strait, between Sweden and Denmark.It is not clear what happened to the drone but Jonson said the Russian ship sailed on to the Baltic Sea.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said claims the drone was Russian were "absurd".For months Nato allies have reported drone sightings close to military sites and airports, including a number of incidents in Denmark and the Baltic states. An investigation was launched in December after drones flew over the Île Longue naval base, which is home to France's nuclear ballistic submarines off the Breton town of Brest.Both armed forces have played down the drone incident, and French General Staff spokesman Col Guillaume Vernet said it had demonstrated the "robustness" of the Swedish response, adding that it had no impact on the French mission.France's foreign minister was due in Sweden on Friday and the country's armed forces minister was due to board the Charles de Gaulle while it was docked in Malmo. It is not clear if their visits were related to Wednesday's drone incident.A French ex-military commander at the UN, Gen Dominique Trinquand, said if it was a Russian drone off Malmo then it was not surprising that Moscow was conducting intelligence operations in the area. "That they would do so while the French aircraft carrier is deployed there is certainly a strategic signal," he told French media.The Charles de Gaulle has its own naval escort and carries Rafale fighter jets and reconnaissance planes on board, but relies on a host nation for defence while in its territorial waters.The carrier strike group's arrival in Sweden signals a change in France's military focus towards its Nato allies in Northern Europe. Under a mission called La Fayette 26, the Charles de Gaulle will take part in several long-planned Nato exercises in the Baltic and in the Atlantic, off the coast of Norway. Its mission is being seen as a response to Moscow after a lengthy period of Russian hybrid warfare.Meanwhile, Sweden's coast guard has opened an investigation into a fuel spill in the port of Malmo, where two oil tankers are docked, as well as the Charles de Gaulle.The oil spill was detected on Thursday and although the cause is not yet known, the port has told Swedish media it is not linked to the aircraft carrier.