(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged Western European officials to “broaden their horizons” regarding recent drone sightings and to stop automatically blaming Russia.

Over the past month, several European nations reported UAV sightings near airports, military sites, and critical infrastructure. Western officials have repeatedly claimed, without presenting evidence, that the drones were linked to Moscow.

“There are absolutely no grounds to blame Russia for this,” Peskov told journalists on Monday, citing a recent case in which a local aviation enthusiast with “no connection to Russia” was arrested while testing his drone in a European city.

“This is one specific, small, isolated example, but perhaps Europeans need to broaden their horizons,” he added, without naming the particular incident. German media recently reported that a 41-year-old Croatian citizen was detained near Frankfurt Airport for flying a drone, while several German citizens were apprehended for UAV activity near a Norwegian airport. A Chinese national was also reportedly deported from Norway after flying a drone near Svolvaer Airport.

“The story with these drones is strange, to say the least, but there’s no point in blaming Russia,” Peskov said. “Many politicians in Europe are now inclined to blame Russia for everything without any basis.”

Russian officials have consistently rejected any connection to drone incidents in Europe, describing the accusations as fearmongering aimed at fueling anti-Russian sentiment, inflating defense budgets, and escalating geopolitical tensions.

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