Italy shoots down drone over Lithuania, Finland joins France's nuclear deterrence initiative and the US and Germany sign defense industry cooperation letter of intent

As there is a great amount of security news from the Alpine region this week, with sabotage incidents in Germany and electronic warfare diverting drones into NATO airspace on the eastern flank at a near constant tempo now, this intro will be brief.

It should be clear by now that "hybrid" is a comforting word we told and tell ourselves to avoid the obvious. It meant, nicely put, Russia wanted to destabilize Europe and was willing to do low cost operations squarely in the realm of nuisance to get there. It was not supposed to be kinetic, however it is and the term is no longer fit for purpose beyond denialism.

What the discourse of hybrid warfare also ignored was what the Jake Sullivans of the world would call "the escalation ladder". It was the equivalent of dipping a little toe in deep waters, but Russia always had an intent to dive in and get its hair wet some day. I keep the metaphors deliberately beachy and breezy because some parts of the Alpine space, like Italy, are still partially on holiday. Other parts are permanently it would seem.

However, for Russia, there has never been peace and war as conventionally understood by NATO armies and even so-called neutral nations who are too busy loving peace to ever think about war, even when it comes to them. Afterall, it was once considered "un-Bernese" to be anything but hospitable to Nazi guests in wartime. No, for Russia, war and peace are a continuum with peace only representing activities below the threshold of armed conflict, however hostile.

At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed a new national security council for the EU. Given that it is an economic alliance with zero soldiers or budget for them, however one with economic levers to really press and pull, most Eurocrats reacted with predictable dismissiveness to the idea, suggesting Europe was struggling to find a common defense policy due to a lack of meetings, according to Friday's Politico Brussels Playbook.

Carpe diem, seize the initiative, frame it as you wish. Amid grave inaction, we have decided to take a little bit of action to cut through at least some of the fat. On Monday, we have an event that will take us back in time and to the root of some of the contemporary matters of sabotage, subversion and infiltration in historical light called, "The War on Peace," which will feature experts and witnesses to history on foreign subversion of peace movements. Registration and tickets are required in advance.

Gratitude to all who have already purchased tickets, tipped us a donation for our resilience, planning and production. We look forward to welcoming you and do keep your eyes on your inbox for an update on the event venue location if you are attending!

Welcome to the Alpine Security Monitor. We urge you to subscribe (and become a paid subscriber!) for weekly updates on security and geopolitics as it concerns the Alpine region, namely Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (ok, little Liechtenstein and Monaco too when merited).

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA – Suspected Russian drone shot down by Italian jet

Reuters reports Wednesday that a drone "shot down in Lithuania by an Italian NATO fighter jet on Tuesday was of a type used by Russia".
According to Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda thought it unlikely that the drone was deliberately targeting Lithuania and said that it "was probably targeted towards Ukraine but affected by Ukrainian electronic warfare and deviated off course". He described the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a "Gerbera drone" which is "a cheap plywood long-range aerial drone used by Russia". Nauseda
The incident marks the first time the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission shot down a suspected Russian drone. The mission began in 2004 and is as old as the Baltic states NATO membership.

HELSINKI, FINLAND – Finland joins France's nuclear deterrence initiative

Euronews reports Monday that Helsinki formally joined "a French initiative aimed at strengthening European security through forward nuclear deterrence".
France and Finland published a joint statement calling the announcement an "important step for European security, and for bilateral cooperation."
Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on X that "The initiative is first and foremost about strengthening European security," adding that, "It reinforces Europe's responsibility for its own defence and helps prevent escalation". Of note, Stubb stressed that "Finland does not intend to station nuclear weapons on its territory in peacetime." Finland joins Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK in signing on to France's nuclear deterrence initiative.

WASHINGTON, DC – US and Germany sign defense industry cooperation letter of intent

Reuters reports Tuesday the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a letter of intent "aimed at ‌deepening cooperation between weapons ‌makers in both countries at a time ⁠when defense ⁠stocks have dwindled".
With Germany set to buy Tomahawk cruise missiles, Pistorius framed the acquisition in a context where "the ⁠weapons purchase would not make Germany too dependent" on the US, but rather the procurement "would help achieve a better balance between the two allies".
The time frame on the Tomahawk deal remains unclear.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russian authorities seize assets of Nestlé, Auchan and Leroy Merlin

Le Monde reports Friday that "A decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday led authorities to seize the residual assets of three French firms, as well as the Swiss food giant Nestlé".
The move is Moscow's "latest response to Western sanctions". Putin's decree "transferred the Russian operations of Nestlé, French retailer Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin DIY chain, now known as Lemana Pro, to a company called LFV Management." The Russian subsidiaries of French logistics group FM Logistic are also covered by the decree.
A Russian Interior Ministry general heads LFV Management which Novaya Gazeta Europe, a Russian exile outlet, found was only created late last year with "no known business activity."

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – France lobbied for oligarch's removal from EU sanctions blacklist

France 24 reports Tuesday that the EU member states extended a deadline "for prolonging sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war after France pushed for billionaire Alisher Usmanov to be removed from a blacklist".
The EU's blacklist contains around 3,000 "individuals and entities", with sanctions needing "to be extended every six months". The sanctions list was set to expire this Wednesday but "after the late efforts from Paris to remove 73-year-old Uzbek-Russian metals tycoon Usmanov drew opposition", EU diplomats pushed the deadline back a week. Usmanov was put on the blacklist in 2022 "over what Brussels said were his close ties to the Kremlin".
French diplomats confirmed that they seek Usamov's removal from the list "but did not detail their motives". According to The Financial Times, "Paris was making the push as part of a prisoner release deal involving several French citizens held in Azerbaijan". Initially, Paris had framed its maneuver as support for Slovakia which has long lobbied for Usmanov's removal from the EU sanctions blacklist, though that did not hold up to scrutiny.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Explosions shake two Frankfurt neighborhoods

Deutsche Welle reports Thursday that "mysterious explosions" occurred in two neighborhoods in Frankfurt.
According to the police, "explosives were set off shortly after 4am in front of a café in the city's 'Nordend' neighborhood, and a few minutes later in front of a kiosk in the city center". No one was injured.
Authorities did not release "any information about a motive or possible suspects". In the past week, "there had been two explosions in Frankfurt and one in nearby Offenbach", and on Monday an explosion occurred "at an apartment building in Frankfurt-Bockenheim".

LEIPZIG/HALLE AIRPORT, GERMANY – Russian intelligence behind Leipzig drone attack

Politico reports Sunday that German authorities "identified with a high degree of probability" a citizen of Belarus and "a Russian national linked to the country's military intelligence services" who they are naming as "the main suspects" behind an August armed drone attack on the Leipzig-Halle Airport.
Germany's intelligence service believes the Russian national is "affiliated with the GRU," or Russian military intelligence. It is alleged he "entered Germany via Turkey through the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport". Later, he flew on to Serbia "and is now back in Russia". It is believed that he "organized the explosives and directed the Belarusian suspect". The Belarusian national "entered the Schengen Area via Latvia". Authorities consider him a "'disposable agent' – a criminal hired to carry out acts of sabotage" who is not in the direct employ of the security forces.
Authorities are hoping to establish links "to other sabotage cases in Europe" and currently working with authorities in "Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Finland" as well as with the FBI.

BERLIN, GERMANY – German-Ukrainian woman charged with aiding Russian intelligence

The Associated Press reports Monday that charges had been filed "against a German-Ukrainian woman suspected of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence".
The woman was allegedly in touch "with a full-time intelligence officer at the Russian Embassy in Berlin" for nearly three years. During this time, the defendant "provided the intelligence officer at the Russian Embassy with numerous tips about high-profile events" and got him access to them, "sometimes under a false name". These tips were meant to help the intelligence officer "to build his own network for intelligence purposes". Additionally, the woman tried "to recruit individuals from the German Ministry of Defense and the defense industry". Prosecutors further believe she "sought information on German defense policy and the defense industry, particularly in light of Russia's war on Ukraine," for her Russian intelligence contact.
The woman, who was arrested in January and charged on September 6, 2026, "remains in pretrial detention".

BERLIN, GERMANY – Hamas planned October 7 anniversary attacks in Berlin and Vienna

Politico reports last Friday that Germany's federal prosecutor filed a 214-page indictment alleging "Hamas planned coordinated terrorist attacks in Berlin and Vienna" timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the massive October 7 terror attack in Israel.
According to the indictment, authorities allege Hamas operatives planned to target Israeli and Jewish sites, "simultaneously or in close succession". Prosecutors assert "The plot was supported by an international weapons-procurement network that moved pistols, an automatic rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition through Denmark, Germany and Austria".
Last year, authorities "arrested men linked to the Palestinian militant group who were suspected of planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Germany". Seven men were charged by prosecutors "in connection with the plot and remain in pretrial detention". Of these individuals, "one of the accused was working as a confidential informant for Germany's domestic intelligence agency". The plot began to unravel last October, days before the plot, "when German authorities arrested three suspects in Berlin during the handover of a cache of weapons that prosecutors say had been assembled for the operation".

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Third malaria death connected to airport

Deutsche Welle reports Thursday that "a person living near the Schwanheim district of Frankfurt" bordering the airport "died of malaria".
It is the third malaria death connected to the Frankfurt Airport after a recent cluster of malaria cases emerged. In July and August, "two airport workers died of the disease". Apart from the deceased, two new malaria cases were registered in Schwanheim district on Tuesday. The two infected individuals come from different households and neither of them "had previously visited a malaria-endemic area" or worked at the Frankfurt airport.
Frankfurt health authorities said the two new cases are "linked to an infected Anopheles mosquito that arrived in Germany by plane". According to Germany's public health institute, "malaria mosquitoes can fly between 5 and 10 kilometers". The recent infections happened around five kilometers (three miles) away from the airport.

CLÉON, FRANCE – Sabotage suspected behind train derailment

France 24 reports Saturday that "French investigators suspect sabotage was behind a train derailment in northwestern France that injured 44 people".
The derailment was caused by a rail fragment on the tracks that "was estimated to weigh between 250 and 300 kilograms," causing a derailment in which, "one carriage tipped onto its side while four others left the tracks".
The President of the Normandy Region, Hervé Morin, alleged "that this was not simply a malicious act, but one that can be described as criminal".

PARIS, FRANCE – Far-right policeman arrested accused of plotting terror

Le Monde reports Friday that a policeman aligned with the far-right was taken into custody, accused of "making weapons and planning violent attacks".
The 35-year-old officer was allegedly "apprehended on the street" on August 23 and has "since been placed in pretrial detention while awaiting trial."
The policeman faces charges that include "preparing a terrorist act, the unauthorized manufacture or trade in weapons in connection with a terrorist organization and unauthorized weapon possession."

PARIS, FRANCE – Corruption trial of former justice and culture minister Rachida Dati begins

Le Monde reports Friday that the corruption trial of former French justice and culture minister Rachida Dati began Wednesday.
Dati is accused of receiving €900,000 ($1,030) "between 2010 and 2012 from Renault-Nissan, then led by Carlos Ghosn", the fugitive former head of the company who fled house arrest in a daring escape for his native Lebanon where he has remained.
Unlike Dati, Ghosn "will be tried in absentia" while Dati faces charges of "passive corruption" and "passive influence peddling".

PARIS, FRANCE – Authorities expand sex-trafficking probe tied to Jeffrey Epstein

The New York Times reports last Friday that French prosecutors expanded their investigation "of sex trafficking linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender, identifying 13 new possible victims".
According to the prosecutor, "recruiters in France" might have trafficked a total of 26 victims for Epstein. The authorities "obtained other names of potential recruiters" but did not disclose them, widening the investigation into Epstein following "the death this summer" by suicide "of Daniel Siad, a modeling scout who was accused of repeatedly recruiting young women for Epstein". The prosecutor called Epstein's network "labyrinthine," and said one has "to pull on dozens and dozens of threads."
Epstein partially lived in Paris "for nearly two decades," and "cultivated relationships with some of France's most influential cultural and political figures".

NICE, FRANCE – Fishermen block ports over high cost of fuel

France 24 reports Thursday that "Fisherman blocked the port of Nice and several smaller cities" to protest "the high cost of fuel" in a protest that extended into its "third day".
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu "extended emergency fuel subsidies" Wednesday through "the end of the year for the agriculture, fishing and construction sectors."
Nice mayor Eric Ciotti visited the port to meet with fishermen, "offering support" and asserting that he can "understand their anger."

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – US blocks Iran nuclear chief from IAEA meeting

Reuters reports Monday that the US "blocked Iran's nuclear chief from attending this week's UN atomic watchdog meeting ‌in Vienna".
The US prevented the Iranian official from coming to Vienna "by opposing an exemption from so-called 'snapback' U.N. sanctions", a move that prompted protests from Tehran. Mohammad Eslami, Iran's nuclear chief, was due to take part in this week's annual International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference. According to Iran, "Austria had revoked Eslami's visa after originally granting him one". A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry claimed Austria acted under pressure from the US.
For Eslami to be able to attend the meeting, the US would have had to grant an exemption to the existing sanctions regime against Iran. The US opposed an exemption for Eslami on the grounds that his "participation would have only resulted in Iran exploiting IAEA proceedings as a stage for propaganda while sidestepping substantive cooperation".

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – France apologizes to US over human rights council tweet

Reuters reports Sunday that France's Mission to the UN in Geneva apologized to the US for criticizing "it over human rights in a social media post that triggered a diplomatic dispute which has delayed the arrival of a new French ambassador in Washington".
In late July, the French mission wrote on X: "The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it." Together with the mentioned countries, the US voted against extending the term ⁠of UN human rights chief Volker Türk. The US reacted to the criticism "by walking out of a UN Security Council meeting while France was speaking," and was reportedly "weighing blocking France's choice as its next ambassador in Washington".
The US State Department reacted positively to France's apology, but did not comment on the matter concerning France's incoming ambassador to the US, Aurélien Lechevallier, who is "currently French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot's chief of staff," and "is now expected to arrive in Washington in the coming weeks", according to France 24.

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Ukrainian hacker convicted of ransomware attacks

Swissinfo reports last Friday that "a Ukrainian IT specialist was sentenced in Zürich to 12 years and nine months in prison and banned from Switzerland for 10 years for his role in ransomware attacks on several firms, including Stadler Rail".
The judge found "the defendant had played a key role in cyberattacks against companies such as Stadler Rail, Meier Tobler and Crealogix" in an effort to extract a ransom. Authorities allege he was the lead developer of several malware programs however they do not think he is the mastermind behind the attacks. According to prosecutors, the attacks caused roughly 100 million Swiss francs ($122 million or €106 million) in damages.
While the instigators of the ransomware attacks are not known, one of the alleged culprits "allegedly "cooperated with the Russian secret services before dying" by fenestration in the Russian capital Moscow in November of 2022. The Ukrainian hacker was the target of a US bounty and"using a false identity provided by the Russian intelligence services".

ROME, ITALY – Italy and Spain maintain border control after Ceuta migrant incident

Reuters reports Tuesday that "Italy and Spain on Tuesday extended the ‌suspension of the European Union's border-free arrangement with each other for another 15 days".
Italy justified the extension, saying "significant risks ⁠to internal security persist, alongside a potential threat linked to possible terrorist infiltration". Spain said that, because the situation remained unchanged, the controls would stay in place.
The tit-for-tat border controls began when Italy "suspended the Schengen ⁠arrangements" with Spain following the July 31 "mass influx of migrants ⁠into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco".

NOTO, ITALY – British tourist found dead in Sicily with rope near body

Sky News reports Tuesday that the body of UK national Benjamin John Braithwaite, 35, of Leeds "was found in Sicily on Sunday" in a case currently "under investigation".
Italy's Carabinieri said a rope was reportedly found near his body while "The presence of injuries or signs of violence – including possible injuries to the neck – remains under investigation."
Authorities denied "local reports the death was linked to esoteric rituals" and said "there was no evidence to support this."

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA – American murder suspect captured after three years on the run

The US Marshals Service announced in a press release Wednesday that 23-year-old Seth Walls, a fugitive from justice wanted on "Second-Degree Murder and Reckless Endangerment-Deadly Weapon" charges has been captured in the Slovenian capital where he is currently being held while awaiting extradition.
According to the release, "On September 11, 2022, a 15-year-old-female was shot to death at a residence" in Millington, Tennessee and an arrest warrant was issued for Walls, a resident of the town at the time, following a police investigation. Authorities tracking Walls found the "trail led out of state and eventually out of the country."
Three years a day after the Milington teenager's death, Walls was taken into custody in Ljubljana where "he was using an assumed name," however "fingerprints provided by Interpol proved it was indeed Seth Walls."

And finally…

MONACO – Athlete faces ban after questionable throat-slitting gesture

Because the Alpine Security Monitor loves Monaco stories, The Associated Press reports Monday "Monaco striker Paris Brunner is facing a ban after being referred to the disciplinary body of the French league for celebrating a goal with a throat-slitting gesture".
The German scored to even the score in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Strasbourg before celebrating his goal in questionable fashion. On Monday, The National Council for Ethics and Professional Conduct, which operates independently within French football – or soccer as the Americans call it, said, "players must behave courteously and respectfully towards their opponents, as well as towards their supporters".
Right after the game, Brunner said he "did not intend to show disrespect and that he was sorry if his gesture had hurt anyone". He called the gesture "clumsy" and said he "should not have done it". The council welcomed the apology but stressed that it does not "erase the reality of the gesture, which is liable to constitute a breach of the obligations of respect, setting an example and self-control". It is unclear how many games Brunner could be banned for.

Stay safe and keep your head on straight!

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