The drone neutralized by the Swedish army not far from the French aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle", which is located in Malmö, was indeed Russian, Agence France-Presse reported, citing information from the Swedish Armed Forces after a technical investigation, BTA reports.
The Russian reconnaissance ship "Zhigulevsk" was sailing in Swedish waters at the time of the incident, according to the same source.
"The Swedish ship "Rapp", which was in the area to guard and monitor the French naval aviation group, approached the Russian ship to observe its passage through Oresund", the armed forces stressed. "The Swedish ship's on-board systems detected drone activity nearby and activated countermeasures to jam the device".
Jamming a drone means disrupting the transmission between the device and its operator or depriving it of its means of orientation, using electronic warfare means, AFP noted.
The incident occurred on Wednesday about 13 kilometers from the aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" in the Oresund Strait, near the city of Malmö, where the French flagship stopped before participating in NATO exercises.
After analyzing the technical data, the Swedish armed forces were able to establish that "it was a drone that had made an unauthorized flight, which constitutes a violation of the rules of access to the territory" of Sweden.
"Such behavior is not surprising for Russia, but this is a serious incident that highlights the importance of constant vigilance. Our units acted in an exemplary and professional manner," Eva Skoog Haslum, head of the Armed Forces' Operational Command, was quoted in the statement.
After neutralizing the drone, a Swedish navy patrol ship escorted the "Zhigulevsk" out of Swedish territorial waters. It is now in the Baltic Sea.