France, Feb. 27 -- A drone intercepted near France's flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle during a visit to southern Sweden was likely of Russian origin, Sweden's defence minister has said - underlining the heightened tensions playing out across the Baltic region.

Pal Jonson told Swedish broadcaster SVT on Thursday that the drone incident, which took place the previous day in the Oresund Strait between Sweden and Denmark, appeared to be linked to a Russian military vessel operating nearby at the time. "In all likelihood, there is a strong link between the Russian military vessel and this drone," he said, pointing to what he described as a probable Russian connection.

The episode unfolded around 13 kilometres from the Charles de G...