A investigation conducted by German journalism students revealed that unidentified drones used to monitor military facilities in Europe were launched from civilian ships near the coast.
The analysis, based on navigation data and field observations, showed that cargo ships anchored without apparent reason coincided with drone flyovers in sensitive areas in Germany and the Netherlands.
The study identified three suspicious vessels, including the cargo ships HAV Dolphin and HAV Snapper, officially registered by a Norwegian company, but which underwent regular maintenance in Kaliningrad, Russia. Reports indicate that both ships operated near German military regions, such as the Kiel Bay, while numerous drone flights were recorded. Both ships had crews made up entirely of Russians, and previous official inspections were considered superficial.
Another case involved the Russian cargo ship Lauga, near which the German police detected seven drones. Although a subsequent inspection in Belgium found no irregularities, intelligence reports show the extent of the problem: by November 2025, 1,072 incidents involving nearly 2,000 drones had been recorded, most of them over military facilities. In many of the occurrences, neither the type of drone nor its operators could be identified.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @sharpnessmike | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
❕ German investigators have found a link between mass flights of unidentified drones and ships connected to Russia
BILD, WELT and the Axel Springer Academy obtained classified security reports showing that since the beginning of the year, 1,072 incidents involving 1,955… pic.twitter.com/kRGKfkNo6i
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 10, 2025
A group of German journalism students investigated the drone sightings over military installations in Western Europe and in one instance tracked it back to three commercial vessels belonging to Russian services. The cargo ships involved are the “Lauga”, “HAV Dolphin” and “HAV… pic.twitter.com/joaj8oy448
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) December 12, 2025
