FRENCH troops reportedly swooped on a suspected Russian vessel over fears it helped launch drones into Nato airspace.

The ghost oil tanker is one of the three ships said to be part of Vladimir Putin's "Shadow Fleet", which are being probed after Europe's drone menace .

French soldiers boarded the ship PUSHPA, which was seized off the coast of Saint-Nazaire, Le Parisien reports.

It raised eyebrows after it was spotted sailing close to the Danish coast on the night of the drone attack, which forced Copenhagen airport to shut.

Also called Boracay, the Benin-flagged vessel blacklisted by the European Union, was stationed off Denmark from September 22 to 25, according to ship tracking data.

According to the specialist website The Maritime Executive, the 801-foot vessel is suspected of b

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