Moscow, September 22, 2026 – The Europe Today: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Western media of making unsubstantiated allegations against Russia over the appearance of unidentified drones in European countries, describing the coverage as part of what he called “information games.”
Speaking at the international Dialogue on Fakes 4.0 forum, Lavrov said reports alleging that Russian drones had appeared in various European countries and targeted facilities had recently become a recurring theme in Western media.
According to Lavrov, subsequent investigations in such cases had often established that the object was not a drone, was a Ukrainian drone, or could not be conclusively identified as Russian.
“The topic of Russian drones – allegedly appearing here and there across European countries and attacking various facilities – has become fashionable in Western media lately,” Lavrov said, according to TASS.
He argued that the details surrounding such allegations frequently cease to attract attention after several days, with the stories subsequently moving to less prominent positions in media coverage.
Lavrov cited Germany as an example, claiming that an allegedly false report had been used as a basis for measures against Russian diplomats and the closure of consular offices and cultural centers.
The Russian foreign minister further alleged that Western information policies involved rapidly amplifying unverified claims while limiting access to alternative accounts of specific incidents. He said such stories were later given considerably less prominence once public attention had shifted elsewhere.
The Dialogue on Fakes 4.0 forum is being held at the National Center Russia and has brought together more than 2,000 participants from 80 countries, according to the information provided by TASS. The forum is organized by the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), established in 2025 by TASS, the autonomous non-profit organization Dialogue Regions and the New Media Workshop.
