France probes whether botched arson and Belarusian ‘spotter’ arrested outside Ukraine drone supplier are linked

A factory owned by Delair, a French drone manufacturer that supplies Ukraine, was attacked with Molotov cocktails, the newspaper Le Parisien reported, citing unnamed sources.

The factory sits near Toulouse in southwestern France. Delair ranks among France’s leading drone manufacturers, making both civilian and military models. The company began supplying Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

The attack took place in early June. The Toulouse prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case on charges of property destruction that endangered lives, Le Parisien reported. The factory suffered almost no damage — the incendiary mixture failed to explode.

Two days later, on June 3, French authorities detained a 48-year-old Belarusian citizen who had been living in Spain — he was caught near the factory filming a drone prototype. Prosecutors say he sent a video to a contact in Russia and was found carrying “advanced equipment.” He had been spotted near the factory several times before his arrest. On June 5, he was formally charged with delivering information to a foreign power, collecting information with intent to deliver it to a foreign power, and criminal conspiracy. He was remanded in pretrial detention.

Whether the two incidents are connected remains unclear.

European countries have backed Kyiv throughout the conflict, including with weapons shipments. Russia has condemned any assistance to its adversary, especially weapons deliveries.

Across Europe, authorities have repeatedly announced the arrest of suspects accused of spying for Moscow or plotting or carrying out acts of sabotage.