Shadow Fleets and Shadow Drones: Europe's Vulnerability Exposed The International Institute for Strategic Studies has assessed a disturbing trend in European skies: mysterious drone flights that have disrupted major airports, flown over NATO member military bases hosting US nuclear weapons, and revealed the vulnerability of European air defenses.
This trend is not just about drones; it's also linked to a shadow fleet of Russian linked commercial ships that may be ferrying these unmanned aircraft across the continent.
The IISS report used automatic identification system (AIS) maritime tracking data to reveal a pattern of Russian linked ships being located nearby during various drone incidents.