Mysterious Drones Over European Airports Raise Alarm, Officials Suspect Russia's Involvement

In recent days, several unarmed drones have been spotted near airports, military bases, and power plants across Western Europe, sparking concerns of a potential "hybrid warfare" campaign by Russia. These incidents, including recent sightings in Poland, Belgium, and Denmark, have raised alarms among NATO countries, many of which are supporting Ukraine, BBC reported. The latest incident involves reports of at least three drones spotted over a nuclear power plant in northern Belgium, specifically the Doel plant near the Port of Antwerp, though these reports haven't been confirmed.

While there have been no confirmed attacks, the incidents pose a significant risk to aviation safety, cause major travel disruptions, and are widely considered a form of "hybrid warfare" intended to test European defenses and sow division.

Some officials suspect Russia's involvement in these mysterious incidents. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed accusations that Russia was behind the drone incidents in Europe, calling them "unfounded" and criticising European politicians for being quick to blame Moscow without evidence. "Numerous politicians in Europe are now eager to blame Russia for any issue," he said. 

Why It's Concerning?

• Aviation Safety Risk: Drones, even small ones, pose a real risk of collision with commercial aircraft, particularly during critical takeoff and landing phases.
• Major Disruptions: Repeated sightings have led to temporary airport closures and flight cancellations across Europe, including at major hubs like Munich, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Oslo. These shutdowns are costly and affect tens of thousands of passengers.
• Security Vulnerability: The incidents highlight a significant gap in Europe's ability to detect and neutralise unauthorised drone activity around critical infrastructure, which also includes military bases, power plants, and government buildings

What Are Authorities Doing?

European authorities are treating the situation seriously and implementing new measures. Airports are deploying advanced detection technologies, such as radar sensors and radio frequency scanners. Germany has proposed a law to allow police to shoot down drones in certain situations, although using active countermeasures like missiles in civilian airspace remains a safety and legal challenge.

"Drone Wall"

European defense ministers have also agreed to work toward creating a "drone wall" along borders to better detect, track, and intercept rogue drones. But is this feasible? The idea involves creating a network of sensors, jammers, and interceptors to detect and neutralise drones, though challenges like cost, cross-border coordination, and technological limitations remain. EU leaders are debating the plan, with some countries like France and Germany expressing scepticism. 

"I wouldn't call it completely unrealistic, but let's just call it very ambitious," said Funk Kirkegaard.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that a new anti-drone system is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2027, as part of the EU's Defense Roadmap to strengthen Europe's protection against aerial threats.

"For countries that are close to the Russian border – the Baltics, Poland, Germany as well because of course they're within range of those long-range drones - it is absolutely essential to try and build something like this," Robert Tollast, a research fellow at Whitehall think tank said. 

However, another research analyst agrees that the plan isn't to build an impenetrable wall. 

"The idea here would be not so much to actually build a full-on wall, or something that's fully impenetrable. It's not really possible - both in terms of the length and also just the available technologies are not 100% foolproof... But rather you're looking at a combination of things that hopefully can capture different types of drones and stop them," he said.