The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated on Wednesday (October 8th) that recent incidents involving drones and other violations of European airspace indicate that Europe is facing a hybrid war and must adopt measures beyond traditional defense and new thinking patterns to respond.
Von der Leyen made the remarks at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Referring to the recent drone incidents, she mentioned that “new dangerous events” are unfolding in Europe’s airspace. While she didn’t directly blame Russia for all airspace violations, she highlighted that Russia’s apparent goal is to “sow division” in Europe.
“There is no doubt that this is just a part of a worrying and escalating pattern of threats. Throughout our union, undersea cables are being cut, airports and logistic hubs are paralyzed by cyber-attacks, and elections have become targets of malicious influence campaigns,” she said.
Von der Leyen emphasized that all these incidents are carefully orchestrated with the aim of keeping them in a deniable gray zone, but “this is not random harassment, this is a coherent and escalating operation intended to disrupt our citizens, test our resolve, divide our union, and weaken our support for Ukraine… This is hybrid warfare. We must take it very seriously.”
She also stated that countering Russia’s hybrid warfare involves more than just traditional defense; it includes drone software, spare parts for pipelines, rapid network response teams, and public information campaigns to raise awareness.
“This requires all of us to adopt a new way of thinking. We must be prepared to leave our comfort zone and explore new ways of doing things. Most importantly, we must deter those who seek to harm our territories and people. The choice before us is very simple: either we retreat and watch Russia’s threats escalate, or we respond with unity, deterrence, and determination,” she said.
Since Poland shot down a Russian drone invading its airspace last month and Estonia expelled three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets, numerous unidentified drone incidents have occurred in the airspace of several European countries. Unidentified drones were discovered near military facilities in Denmark, including the country’s largest military base. Aalborg Airport and Copenhagen Airport were temporarily closed due to drone incidents.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Denmark has faced a hybrid attack. In multiple locations, including critical infrastructure, military, and civilian facilities, drones have been sighted.
(Reference: Reuters)