Russia is planning drone attacks against France, Spain and Italy, according to a report citing CIA assessments and Spain's El Mundo newspaper.

The report claims Moscow intends to launch Gerbera long-range drones from merchant ships operating in the Mediterranean. The drones would target infrastructure in the three countries.

Italy's defence minister Guido Crosetto publicly disputed the claim, saying he had seen no evidence of such a plan. Other European officials were more cautious.

The report has not been independently verified. Intelligence assessments of Russian intentions are often contested, and Moscow has denied similar claims before.

European navies have stepped up monitoring of merchant traffic in the Mediterranean in recent months amid a series of sabotage incidents.

NATO officials say the alliance is prepared for hybrid threats. They declined to comment directly on the specific claims.

Gerbera drones are long-range unmanned aircraft that Russia has used extensively in Ukraine. Western intelligence agencies have tracked their production and deployment for more than a year.

Sources: jfeed.com, dailyguardian.eu, decode39.com.