Von der Leyen addresses EU Parliament on Russian drone incursions: This is hybrid war
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stated that systematic incursions by Russian drones into EU airspace are part of the hybrid war that Russia is waging against Europe.
"Something new and dangerous is happening in our skies. In just the past two weeks, MiG fighter jets have violated Estonia's airspace, and drones have flown over critical sites in Belgium, Poland, Romania, Denmark and Germany. Flights have been grounded, jets scrambled and countermeasures deployed to ensure the safety of our citizens," von der Leyen said in a statement in Strasbourg on 8 October during a plenary debate in the European Parliament on a joint response to Russia's recent violations of the airspace and critical infrastructure of EU member states.
She added that violations of airspace are not the only criminal acts committed by Russia in Europe.
"Across our Union, undersea cables have been cut, airports and logistics hubs paralysed by cyberattacks and elections targeted by malign influence campaigns. These incidents are calculated to linger in the twilight of deniability. This is not random harassment – this is a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our citizens, test our resolve, divide our Union and weaken our support for Ukraine," the European Commission president said.
"It is time to call it by its name: this is hybrid warfare… This is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe. And Europe must respond," von der Leyen declared.
Over the past few weeks, unidentified drones have been spotted in the airspace of several NATO and EU countries. On 2 October, Munich airport suspended operations due to the presence of one or more unidentified drones.
Afterwards, the authorities of Germany's federal state of Bavaria took steps towards authorising the police to shoot down unidentified drones.
Recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes that Russia was behind the flights of many of the drones spotted over Germany.