Russia is testing Europe. Drones flew 87 times, including: over NATO's military objectives

The British daily “Times” recorded 87 provocative or suspicious violations of European airspace since September, when Russian drones invaded Polish skies and triggered Art. 4 NATO.

Suspicious drone activity was reported in at least 15 NATO countries, with the most frequent occurrences in Germany and Belgium, the newspaper reported on Monday. The editorial team found that at least 45 incidents occurred near airports, 23 over military infrastructure, including barracks, air bases and ammunition depots, and six near other critical infrastructure.

The Times reported that most of the 87 violations are still under investigation, and only eight cases resulted in suspects being detained or fined. “Experts say espionage or disruption of public order can be anonymously outsourced to European collaborators, making it difficult to confirm responsibility even if the perpetrator is caught,” the daily writes.

According to Nichita Gurtsov, an analyst at ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), a company monitoring conflicts, “no one doubts that Russia is behind these actions.” The expert pointed out that the lack of emergency landings of machines that violate space means that they are operated by competent people.

– The circumstances indicate a hybrid operation. (…) If they were not state-sponsored, we would not see hordes of drones flying over strategic places, Gurcov said.

In his opinion, the increase in the number of airspace violations may be related to the political debate regarding the confiscation of frozen Russian assets in European banks. At the same time, the analyst emphasized that without evidence in the form of intercepted drones, this connection is speculative.

The newspaper noted that although European airports are increasingly investing in radar, radio monitoring and acoustic sensors, they still largely rely on visual confirmation of the presence of small objects.

An expert from the British think tank Chatham House dealing with international affairs, Keir Giles, admitted that he was surprised by how unprepared airports in Europe seem to be for this problem. – Russia has detected a huge gap in the European defense of critical infrastructure and at the same time stated that it can carry out these attacks without any costs or consequences – he said.

Gurcov admitted that the current situation in Europe “is very stressful.” – It's a test of determination and also reaction. (…) I am afraid that if you do not clearly oppose these incidents, there will be more of them, he concluded.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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