Drones drop red paint, simulated explosive at Russian embassy in Stockholm

The Russian embassy in Stockholm reported on Thursday that during the night drones dropped a simulated explosive device and poured red paint over the embassy compound. Stockholm police told AFP that they are investigating "vandalism at the embassy" but did not specify which country's mission was targeted. The investigation is confidential.

The Russian embassy posted photos on its Facebook account showing drones lying on the ground. One of them appeared to have an object attached with wires, another was covered in red paint, and a third photo showed a container with red paint. The embassy stated that this is not a simple provocation but an obvious attempt to intimidate its staff.

The embassy claimed that Swedish authorities have investigated more than ten similar incidents at the embassy, but the investigations over the past two years have yielded no results. A Stockholm police spokesperson acknowledged that police have investigated incidents at embassies but did not reveal which countries' missions were involved. He added that Swedish police recently set up a new unit to investigate such incidents, which have become more frequent and are complex to probe.

According to Swedish media, drones released red paint over the Russian embassy in September 2025 and November 2024, and over its trade mission in July 2025. In January 2025, a 45-year-old man was detained after crashing his car into the embassy's metal gates. The Russian Foreign Ministry then said the suspect was a Ukrainian citizen with permanent residency in Sweden, well known to the embassy and local police.