The Swedish military has confirmed that a drone jammed near a French aircraft carrier this week was Russian, fuelling concerns about Moscow's use of hybrid tactics against European nations supporting Ukraine. The incident occurred on Thursday when a Swedish navy vessel disrupted the drone 13 kilometres from France's flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, in the Oresund strait between Denmark and Sweden.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking on board the Charles de Gaulle on Friday, described the episode as a “ridiculous provocation” if Russian involvement were confirmed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the remark as “quite an absurd statement”. The incident follows Romania's decision on Thursday to scramble fighter jets after a drone breached its national airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine.
Denmark's intelligence services warned on Friday that a foreign power may attempt to sway voters in the country's general election on 24 March, identifying Denmark as a priority target for Russia because of its support for Ukraine. In a joint statement, police and military intelligence said the election campaign could be marked by disinformation and cyber-attacks. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called the election on Thursday, said the shadow cast by Russia was one of Denmark's biggest threats.
In Hungary, policy analysts say Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who lags in most polls, is using Ukraine as a distraction from domestic issues such as fraying social services and economic stagnation ahead of April's election. His government has employed artificial intelligence to generate billboard posters depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU officials with outstretched hands, carrying the message: “Our message to Brussels: We won't pay!”
Ukraine and Slovakia agreed on Friday to hold face-to-face talks over a blocked pipeline carrying Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungary's Orban have accused Zelenskyy of “blackmail” over the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine says was damaged in Russian airstrikes on 27 January. Slovakia and Hungary insist it has been repaired. Meanwhile, Orban has blocked an EU emergency loan to Ukraine as the dispute escalates.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday it had brokered a local ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia to allow restoration of backup power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the fifth such agreement. Separately, Ghana's foreign minister reported that 55 Ghanaians have been killed in the war after being “lured into battle”, with 272 believed to have been recruited since 2022 and two captured. Ukraine says more than 1,780 Africans from 36 countries are fighting in the Russian army.
