As NATO allies prepare to meet in Turkey, at the top of their agenda will be drone warfare and Russia’s testing of the NATO alliance.

Using its shadow fleet of old sanction-busting ships, Russia appears to have launched drones at European military bases and airports to test the reaction time of NATO allies and their air defenses, according to a new report published by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, or IISS.

Between August 2024 and February 2026, 144 suspected drones were recorded near sensitive military and nuclear sites in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark, and over American air bases in the UK in November 2024.

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«There’s no doubt in my mind that the Russians are using the shadow fleet vessels as a platform to get different types of drones in closer to various European countries,» said Ret. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who served as the commanding general of US Army Europe until 2018. 

In Germany there were more than 1,000 suspicious drone sightings in 2025, over German defense companies and military bases where Ukrainian soldiers were training in Germany.

«Whoever is doing it is testing the reaction of the authorities, is testing how the public will respond, will they panic, will they blame their politicians and the authorities,» asked Elisabeth Braw of the Atlantic Council. «Also they are testing perhaps to see how we as European countries or how European countries might react in a real crisis there.»

This spate of unmanned aerial vehicles occurred in air space over a dozen NATO states and Ireland, the report states, «forcing repeated closures of major commercial aviation hubs, disrupting military operations and penetrating the perimeters of some of Europe’s most sensitive defence installations.»

In 2025 mystery drones targeted military bases in the Netherlands and Belgium where the US is thought to base its B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs and France’s ballistic-missile submarine base at Île Longue.

«It’s a combination of espionage,» Hodges said. «But also psychologically to create a lot of anxiety in populations to scare them so that they would put pressure on their governments not to support Ukraine.» 

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference after meetings with the heads of the EU and Ireland, following a formal ceremony to mark the launch of Ireland’s eighth EU presidency, at Dublin Castle in Dublin on July 1, 2026. (Paul Faith / AFP via Getty Images)

The Russian drone campaign appears designed to probe the response times and decision-making thresholds of allied air defense and civil-military command structures. 

It also seeks to identify vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, including dual-use civilian facilities, military logistics hubs supporting Ukraine, and sites associated with the Alliance’s nuclear deterrence. 

Additionally, the campaign aims to impose economic and psychological costs on European societies by disrupting civilian aviation, undermining public confidence in airspace security, and fostering distrust and panic. Finally, it appears intended to normalize low-level airspace violations that remain below the threshold likely to trigger a direct Allied military response.

Those sightings peaked in late 2025, and forced the temporary closure of several European airports, including in Germany, Spain and Denmark.

Sweden is the only European country to accuse Moscow directly after a drone launched at sea from a Russian spy ship flew near a French aircraft carrier.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied accusations of Russian sabotage and surveillance across Europe.

«What’s the point of all this,» Putin asked of reporters recently. «Name even one proven fact.»

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied accusations of Russian sabotage and surveillance across Europe. (Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

But IISS tracked the locations of Russia’s shadow fleet of ships used to evade sanctions and linked them to recent high-profile drone incidents, concluding that Russia could use the ships as a platform to launch the drones while creating deniability. Drones often don’t trigger radar.

On Jan. 3, 2025, a Russian shadow fleet vessel, the Arctica, sailed along the Danish coast, while 20 drones flew over the port of Koege, Denmark, before disappearing at sea.

On Sept. 22, drone sightings led to the closure of Copenhagen Airport. The IISS found several shadow ships were in the area at the time, including the Arctica and the Boracay.

And its not just in Europe. Dozens of unexplained drone sightings also have taken place in the U.S . in the past several years.

In December 2023 at Virginia’s Joint Base Langley-Eustis unauthorized aircraft appeared in the skies above the base for 17 days straight, evading military tracking and forcing the Pentagon to bring in specialized assets — including a NASA WB-57 high-altitude jet — to investigate.

In March drones flew near Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, home of the B- 52 H Stratofortress bomber, where drones came in a pattern to suggest they were attempting to avoid the operator or operators being located. Lights on the drones suggested the operators may be testing security responses at the base.

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Panicked sightings of drones near critical infrastructure along the East Coast of the United States in late 2024 led to the Trump administration ordering the declassification of these investigations shortly after the inauguration to ease public concern, concluding the drones were mostly those of hobbyists and that there was no evidence of a foreign threat related to the majority of reported sightings.

The IISS says these are no hobbyists threatening NATO allies in Europe, with the most likely culprit launching the drones from shadow vessels at sea.

El Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea (TJUE) arranca este viernes las sesiones sobre el acuerdo entre la el Mercosur y la Unión Europea. La primera vista será protagonizada por la Comisión Europa, que presentará sus argumentos para defender el pacto y por haberlo partido en dos (una parte comercial y otra parte política).

Hacer eso permitía que la parte comercial saliera adelante, pues sólo necesitaba una votación de los gobiernos por mayoría cualificada y la ratificación del Parlamento Europeo. La parte política del mismo sigue sin aprobarse. Haber intentando hacer aprobar las dos partes juntas habría llevado a una votación por unanimidad de los gobiernos, para la que la Comisión no tenía los votos. Y a ratificaciones en los 27 parlamentos nacionales, con al menos seis votando en contra.

En aquella votación de enero, Francia, Irlanda, Polonia, Hungría y Austria votaron en contra. No fue suficiente para lograr una minoría de bloqueo y por eso el acuerdo se está aplicando de forma provisional desde el pasado 1 de mayo. De haberse votado todo el paquete completo habría hecho falta unanimidad y el acuerdo seguiría bloqueado.

El texto llega al TJUE porque a principios de año una muy estrecha mayoría de eurodiputados, entre ellos algunos que aseguran que están a favor del acuerdo, votaron a favor de enviarlo a los jueces para que estos le dieran su visto bueno legal. Se trataba de una maniobra que en realidad, para muchos eurodiputados, buscaba frenar su aplicación durante año y medio o más.

La parte que se aplica ya de forma provisional es la que tiene más peso económico porque crea una zona de comercial de más de 700 millones de personas que elimina la inmensa mayoría de los aranceles existentes hasta entonces y que permite a las empresas europeas ganar acceso a mercados de contratación pública grandes como el argentino y, sobre todo, el brasileño. Europa gana importaciones agroalimentarias y de minerales y tierras raras, de los que no va especialmente sobrada y de los que quiere reducir sus dependencias de China. A cambio, los exportadores de Mercosur ganan un acceso mucho más amplio y fácil al mercado europeo.

¿Puede el TJUE paralizar el acuerdo y hacer caer así su aplicación provisional? Lo que impugnó el Parlamento Europeo fue precisamente la división del acuerdo en dos textos, alegando que era una simple maniobra para esquivar la unanimidad de los Estados miembros y la necesidad de ratificación por parte de los parlamentos nacionales (no votarán sobre la parte comercial y si votan resoluciones no vinculantes no tendrán ningún peso, sólo votarán los eurodiputados).

El fallo del TJUE se espera en un plazo de entre 18 y 24 meses a contar desde febrero pasado, así que fácilmente podría irse hasta finales de 2027. Mientras tanto la aplicación provisional sigue en curso y se van generando compromisos económicos y contratos mercantiles cuya anulación por los jueces dos años después generarían una situación de inseguridad jurídica e inestabilidad política y económica que pocos países defenderán.

Bruselas consiguió su objetivo prioritario, poner en marcha aunque fuera provisionalmente la parte comercial. Pero no ha podido eliminar ninguno de los cinco obstáculos de los países que votaron en contra y sus votos son necesarios para aprobar la parte política, que no se aprueba como acuerdo comercial, sino de política exterior, y por lo tanto necesita unanimidad. Francia lidera una oposición que ha ido incluso, como en el caso polaco, al TJUE para denunciar la maniobra de la Comisión Europea.

Francia quiere «cláusulas espejo». Insiste en que los productos importados del Mercosur deben cumplir exactamente la misma normativa que cumplen los producidos en Europa y exige que se proteja con medidas comerciales a la agricultura europea como se hace con el acero o el automóvil, es decir, con aranceles. Es decir, tirando el acuerdo con Mercosur a la basura.

Los gobiernos contrarios al acuerdo (porque sus sectores agropecuarios siguen teniendo peso político) aseguran que hay más de 30 sustancias activas permitidas en el cultivo de caña de azúcar en Brasil, por poner un ejemplo, que están prohibidas en la remolacha azucarera europea. O un 52% de las sustancias que se usan para cultivar maíz en los países de Mercosur son ilegales en Europa. También es cierto que varios países europeos, entre ellos Francia, permiten que sus empresas vendan en África o en América Latina, fertilizantes y químicos de fumigación que en Europa llevan años prohibidos.

¿Puede tumbarlo el TJUE? Políticamente sería muy complicado, pero si los jueces dan la razón al Parlamento Europeo y rechazan la división del pacto en dos que hizo la Comisión Europea, Bruselas podría encontrarse con un acuerdo de libre comercio que afecta a 31 países y más de 700 millones de personas sin base legal para su aplicación.

JORDAN VALLEY: After Hamas’ terrorist invasion of Israel’s southern border on Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish state created the 96th army division to thwart new security threats along its border with Jordan.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) granted Fox News Digital exclusive access to military bases that are on the frontlines in the fight against Iran’s regime, terrorism, narcotics and weapons smuggling, as well as illegal entry of Palestinians seeking work in Israel.

While the «Jordanian border is a peace border,» an Israeli military official told Fox News Digital, «There is a strategic competition over Jordan. The other side [Iran’s regime] understands it is a peaceful border and a strategic advantage for any of our enemies who want to be there.» Jordan and Israel reached a peace agreement in 1994.

JORDAN REMAINS ‘LAST HOLDOUT’ AS IRAN LOOKS TO CREATE NEW ‘TERROR FRONT’ ON ISRAELI BORDER

The longevity of Mideast peace is at stake in the oppressive heat of the biblically rich history of the Jordan Valley, where Joshua led the Jews into Israel.

The Jordan Valley frequently appears in Scripture. John the Baptist led his ministry and baptisms, including Jesus’, in the Valley. «Tourists come to explore it [Jordan Valley region],» said the military official. As a result of the origins of Christianity and Judaism, the Jordan Valley has been labeled the «Original Bible Belt.»

During Israel’s seven-front war against Iran and its allies, Fox News Digital reported that the regime and Hamas sought to destabilize Jordan, according to Mideast experts.

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In 2024, Jordan experienced protests in support of the Hamas terrorist organization.

After Hamas slaughtered over 1,200 people on 10/7, including more than 40 Americans, the IDF is reactivating 45 military bases spread out between Israel and Jordan. The IDF said the bases were built after the 1967 Six-Day War and their operation was» discontinued in the late 1990s. IDF Division 96 oversees the sprawling bases filled with bunkers in the Jordan Valley.

A military official told Fox News Digital that «Since the beginning of the year, Division 96 has thwarted more than 20 smuggling attempts involving weapons and narcotics.»

According to the military official, «All walks of life come here [Jordan Valley]. The army’s job is to make sure that everybody can live here in peace.» Division 96 covers 250 air miles and approximately 242.3 miles of territory, said the military official. The IDF created Division 96 a little more than a year ago.

The military official said that a critical piece of its multilayered defense is to build a new wall. «The army took everything we learned from 10/7 and revamped the wall.» The military official added the construction of the wall helps to explain why Palestinians are seeking to illegally enter Israel for employment: «They see the wall and realize that their time is now up to come in.»

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He stressed there are legal entry points into Israel from the Jordanian side.

The multipronged new Israeli border system in the Jordan Valley is demarcated by three layers. The first layer is a military outpost, like the facility Fox News Digital toured. Named «European Goldfinch,» it is situated across from the defunct historical Adam Bridge, where two Jordanian military outposts are within eyesight.

The second layer of defense is the construction of a wall. And the third line of defense is the military bases that lodges Division 96. The IDF official said that the army also increased the number of reserve soldiers.

The Israeli army built another five battalions of soldiers who were never engaged in service or finished their service and wish to return to duty. The reservists «understood the point of history we are in» and their «love for Israel,» said the Israeli military official.

During Israel’s war with Iran, the clerical regime’s forces fired missiles into the Jordan Valley. The bunkers located in the outposts served as a refuge from Iran’s rockets.

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First line of defense. An IDF military outpost sits on the Israeli side of Jordanian border. (Benjamin Weinthal for Fox News Digital)

The military bases inspected by Fox News Digital are located in Area C in the disputed West Bank territory, referred to by many Israelis by the region’s biblical names as Judea and Samaria. Nearly 500,000 Israelis and around 300,000 Palestinians live in Area C, which makes up 60% of the total area of Judea and Samaria. The Oslo Accords, which were signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993, stipulated military and civilian control over Area C was absorbed by the IDF.

The miltiary official said that «We have the same agenda as Jordan: To keep the border peaceful.»