The Moscow Times reports that the Dutch newspaper Trouw has reviewed dozens of incidents using the platform Dronewatch, and found that they could not verify even one of the incidents in which allegedly Russian-made drones had been sent into Europe. The report claimed that no radar record or debris was found that could validate Russian authorship, and even in the case of Poland, where allegedly Russian-made drones were found, there was no evidence that they were fired by Russians or from Russia.
At least 14 of the Dutch drone sightings were later attributed to ordinary aircraft, helicopters, ships, or even stars. A map compiled by Trouw showed three hobby or tourist drones and 11 other objects that were ultimately deemed not to be drones. In the Netherlands, the Defense Department stressed that the recent reports near Volkel and Eindhoven are no cause for alarm. According to the military police, “hobby drones” were spotted, though their origin is unclear, and there is no indication of a state-level threat.
The Moscow Times points out that these findings jar with recent statements from European officials, including Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, both of whom suggested Russia could be behind suspected drone flights over Scandinavia.
