IISS report links 144 drone sightings over Europe to coordinated Russian campaign
European air defenses look exposed: a new IISS report ties 144 suspected drone sightings over a dozen NATO states and Ireland to a coordinated Russian campaign, likely launched from shadow-fleet ships. Sightings peaked in late 2025 and shut airports in Germany, Spain and Denmark.
A new assessment from the International Institute for Strategic Studies has put hard numbers on a threat European governments have struggled to define. The IISS documented 144 suspected drone sightings across the continent between 2024 and 2026, spanning a dozen NATO members including Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Denmark, along with Ireland. The institute concludes it is highly likely these formed a coordinated Russian campaign, and that many of the drones were launched from vessels in Russia's shadow fleet, the loosely tracked ships Moscow uses to evade sanctions. Sightings peaked in late 2025 and forced the temporary closure of airports in Germany, Spain and Denmark. Denmark's prime minister described the incidents as the most serious attack on the country's critical infrastructure so far. According to the IISS, the campaign was calibrated to stay below the threshold that would trigger a collective NATO response, while probing radar coverage and exposing gaps in Europe's air defenses. The report frames the episode as a strategic failure for a continent whose defenses are not yet built for this kind of threat.