European Council President: Drone Incursions Are Russian Hybrid Warfare Campaign
European Council President Ursula von der Leyen told European Union lawmakers Wednesday that a series of incursions by unidentified drones over European airports and other critical infrastructure over the past two weeks was a Russian hybrid warfare campaign, saying that it was “time to call it by its name”.
“To those who still doubt, look at what is happening. One incident may be a mistake. Two, a coincidence. But three, five, ten? This is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe”, said von der Leyen during a speech at the European Parliament. “And Europe must respond. We must investigate every incident. And we must not shy away from attributing responsibility. Because every square centimetre of our territory must be protected and safe.”
Von der Leyen also told lawmakers about three points that she said were central to a pan-European plan for European military modernization that will be presented in two weeks.
The first point is cooperation with Ukraine on an European Drone Wall to detect, intercept and neutralize drone incursions. While the Drone Wall will initially support the EU’s Eastern Flank Watch effort to bolster military readiness and surveillance on the EU’s borders with Russia and Belarus, von der Leyen said it would be expanded into a “shield for our entire Union, including the Southern Flank”, capable of addressing challenges ranging from natural disasters to “controlling” the Russian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on Russia’s energy exports.
Von der Leyen’s second point is on the creation of nine Collective Capability Coalitions to address European needs in nine critical capability fields, modeled on the Czech and Danish-led initiatives to supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. “We will now expand this across the board. It is fast. It is efficient. And most importantly, it is made in Europe.”
The Council President’s third point is on ensuring continued investments in the European defense industrial base contributed to European competitiveness, with at least 65% of any project funded under the European Council’s SAFE loan mechanism needing to be “based” in the EU. “This is European money and we want to see a return on investment of this European money in jobs here in Europe”, said von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen said responding to this campaign required a “completely new mind-set for all of us”. “The choice before us is simple. We can either shy away and watch Russian threats escalate, or we meet them with unity, deterrence and resolve. I know which side we will choose”, she said in her conclusion.