Following Incursions By Putin
Story by Kevin Adjei-darko
- 4h •
4 min read
NATO may soon make it easier to shoot down Russian aircraft after a wave of drone and fighter jet provocations on its eastern flank, one of the alliance’s top commanders has revealed.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO’s military committee, confirmed such a move was being considered but insisted it was too early to decide.
However, in a chilling warning, Russia warned that shooting down its planes would amount to a direct conflict with NATO.
When asked about the possibility of the organisation defending its airspace by downing Russian aircraft, Moscow’s ambassador to France simply said: ‘It would be war.’
Russia’s warnings have not stopped Western leaders from toughening their language, however.
After Donald Trump urged NATO states to shoot down intruding aircraft, secretary-general Mark Rutte said he agreed this would be an appropriate response ‘if so necessary.’
Britain, France, and Germany have since told Moscow the threats are not empty.
The UK’s defence secretary John Healey said: ‘Our Typhoons are fully equipped to take out Russian drones that enter Nato airspace. And we will not hesitate to act…’
Additionally, three Russian MiG-31 jets also entered Estonian airspace on September 19, with local officials saying they only skirted the border.
But Lieutenant Colonel Gaetano Farina, commander of NATO’s air policing mission, told Defence One the planes were intercepted inland and appeared to be heading towards Tallinn.
Meanwhile, Denmark has banned all civilian drone flights this week as it hosts two high-level summits.
‘In this way, we remove the risk that enemy drones can be confused with legal drones and vice versa,’ said Thomas Danielsen, Denmark’s transport minister.
Germany has also deployed troops with anti-drone technology to Copenhagen and stationed the Hamburg frigate to bolster protection.
Poland, which has scrambled fighters during Russian missile and drone barrages on Ukraine, has reinforced its border with 7,000 troops.
Together with the Baltic states, it is planning a ‘drone wall’ of radars, sensors and air defence weapons. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has described the move as ‘the bedrock of credible defence.’
Britain’s government said the UK would contribute by mass-producing drones for the region. ‘Supplying them back in the thousands to help Ukraine defend itself,’ the country’s defence minister said.
EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the first elements of this defensive line should be in place within a year.
- Is NATO finally waking up to Russia’s bold drone incursions as European allies scramble to defend the eastern frontier?
- Could recent Russian drone invasions push NATO toward establishing a high-tech air defence zone?
- Will Europe’s new ‘drone wall’ deter Moscow’s audacious aerial incursions amidst surging tensions with NATO?
- Is Europe gearing up for a high-stakes ‘drone war’ as nations unite to build an impenetrable ‘drone wall’ against Moscow’s aerial threats?
- In the wake of new provocations, are calls growing for NATO to erect an ‘anti-drone wall’ on its Russian border?