Moscow – On Saturday, Russia condemned the European Union’s proposal to enhance its defenses against drones, contending that such actions would escalate tensions following incidents of unidentified unmanned aircraft breaching its borders, reports 24brussels.
The proposed construction of a drone wall comes amid a spate of unauthorized drone incursions that have challenged Europe’s borders and airports, with Russia facing allegations of involvement in several incidents.
The Russian Foreign Ministry asserted that the EU’s measures would contribute to “an increase in military and political tensions on our continent,” as reported by state news agency RIA Novosti. The ministry characterized the initiative as driven by “personal ambitions and political games of the EU’s ruling elites.”
How did Russian drones violate European airspace recently?
NATO jets were dispatched on September 10 to shoot down several Russian drones that infiltrated Polish airspace. Additionally, reports of drone sightings emerged from multiple countries including Denmark, Romania, Norway, Sweden, and France, resulting in temporary airport closures this week as a precaution against potential incursions.
What concerns does the European Union aim to address?
In response to these incidents, European defense ministers from around 10 EU countries convened on Friday to prioritize the construction of a ‘drone wall,’ acknowledging the recent airspace violations by Russia that have raised alarms among member states. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had called for such a drone defense strategy during a keynote speech earlier this month, closely following the NATO interception of Russian drones in Poland.
EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius emphasized that “Russia is testing the EU and NATO, and our response must be firm, united and immediate” during a virtual meeting involving representatives from 10 countries along Europe’s eastern flank, including officials from Ukraine and NATO.
The EU is also looking to learn from Ukraine, which faces daily attacks from Russian drone swarms and has developed more cost-effective methods for intercepting such threats.
How does Russia respond to airspace violation claims?
In a rebuttal to the allegations of airspace violations, Moscow formally dismissed claims of incursions into NATO airspace, referring to the EU’s reaction as “hysteria.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asserted that Russian military pilots adhere to international air navigation rules and denounced the allegations as “baseless.” Furthermore, Russia has refuted any assertions that its drones conducted flights into European airspace, citing a lack of evidence tying such activities to Russia.