Sweden's military has confirmed that a drone disabled near a French aircraft carrier this week was Russian, prompting France to condemn what it described as a "ridiculous provocation" by Moscow.

The incident occurred in the Oresund strait between Sweden and Denmark during a visit by France's flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said technical data confirmed the drone originated from the Russian vessel "Zhigulevsk", noting it violated Swedish airspace regulations.

A Swedish navy vessel, HMS Rapp, disabled the drone about 13km from the French carrier. Swedish forces later escorted the Russian ship out of Swedish waters into the Baltic Sea.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated the drone posed no security threat to the carrier, but if Russian involvement was confirmed, it would be a "ridiculous provocation".

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced an investigation, suggesting the timing was unlikely accidental. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations as "absurd".

The Baltic Sea region has become an area of mounting tension between Russia and NATO countries.

Source: www.aljazeera.com