Russian naval drones spotted off the coast of Portugal, — Ministry of Defense
14.05.2026 - 11:46
The Russians probably launched such drones from ships of the “shadow fleet” in order to spy on the underwater infrastructure of Western European countries.
Russian naval drones were recorded off the coast of Portugal. This was stated by the country’s Minister of National Defense Nuno Melo, Gospodarka Morska reports.
According to the minister, the Portuguese Navy discovered an unspecified number of naval drones in national waters. He did not specify the exact number of devices.
As previously reported, Russian drones could be launched from civilian vessels that were off the coast of Portugal. Some of these vessels, according to journalists, belong to the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation.
However, the first information about the activity of Russian naval drones near Portugal appeared on December 30, 2025. At the time, the Portuguese Navy reported the incident during a meeting with then presidential candidate and current head of state António José Seguro at the Alfeite naval base.
The Defense Minister assured that Portugal has the necessary resources to respond to such threats. According to him, the country’s Navy is acting in coordination with the Air Force.
“We are closely monitoring everything. We know what is happening, but we are not discussing it publicly, because this is information that is, by its nature, rather closed,” said Nuno Melo.
Earlier, USM reported that Portugal is limiting information about the activity of Russian warships off the coast.
