Southern Europe in February 2026: the most important developments in security
In February 2026 the most prominent security event in Southern Europe was the collision between a migrant boat and a Greek coast guard vessel near the island of Chios. Reports put the death toll at 14 or 15 people. A prosecutor ordered the arrest of a survivor in connection with the deaths, and questions were raised about the official accounts given shortly after the collision. On 27 February Turkish police arrested five people in connection with the shipwreck. On the same day Spanish authorities and the EU border agency Frontex searched for a migrant boat reported missing off the Balearic Islands, and Greek authorities detained nearly 300 migrants under a new law criminalizing illegal entry.
Italian investigators questioned a first suspect in the case of alleged "human safaris" in Sarajevo, a series of fatal shootings in the Bosnian capital that is being coordinated across several countries. In Italy, anarchists claimed responsibility for sabotaging a railway line connected to the Olympic venues. An armored cash transport was targeted in a robbery attempt on an Italian highway, and the attempt was thwarted in an exchange of gunfire. Reports also described a crime group in Puglia using war weapons and running training camps.
Espionage cases drew attention in Greece and France. A Greek air force officer was accused of spying for China, and authorities in both countries charged suspects in separate China-linked cases. A Greek court convicted an Israeli spyware maker and a former senior Israeli officer in the Predator case, with one receiving an eight-year sentence.
Military movements were tied to tensions with Iran. The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford transited the Strait of Gibraltar on 17 February, docked in Crete, and departed on 26 February for the Middle East. On 27 February Italy urged its citizens to leave Iran and advised heightened caution across the region. Separately, Spain will buy Rafael air defense missiles from a German unit despite objections from Israel, and funding was approved for Greece's defense modernization plan under the EU's SAFE program.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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