EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius delivered a stark warning to the continent, stating that Europe remains unprepared for a large-scale drone attack launched from Moscow. His remarks follow recent incursions of Russian drones into the airspace of Poland, the Baltic states, and Romania, prompting an urgent push for a modern and cost-effective European anti-drone shield.
Last September, Polish forces were forced to rely on NATO fighter jets and expensive guided missiles to destroy low-cost unmanned devices, exposing the imbalance in current defense capabilities. Kubilius stressed that it took Europe more than two years and multiple Russian provocations to understand that it is “not capable of detecting and neutralizing Russian drones through cost-efficient means.”
He called for an immediate shift toward advanced surveillance systems, integrated defense networks, and closer military coordination across the European Union, particularly along the vulnerable eastern flank. The commissioner also urged the inclusion of Ukraine as a central pillar of Europe’s security architecture, emphasizing the frontline combat experience gained by its armed forces.
Excluding Ukraine, dijo, would be “a historic mistake that would weaken Europe as a whole.” Meanwhile, NATO has reinforced its eastern front and is deploying additional anti-drone systems amid intelligence warnings that Vladimir Putin may target a NATO country in the coming years once the war in Ukraine reaches a turning point.
