EU Urged to Counter Russian Aggressions in Gray Zone Campaign

Brussels, Oct 8 (AP) Russia is conducting a "targeted gray zone campaign" against Europe, involving airspace violations, sabotage, and cyberattacks, and the situation will escalate unless the Kremlin is confronted, the European Union’s top official warned on Wednesday.

The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted recent incidents where fighter jets breached Estonia's airspace and drones flew over military bases and critical infrastructure in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Romania.

“Europe must respond. We must investigate every incident and not shy away from attributing responsibility because every square centimeter of our territory must be protected and safe,” von der Leyen told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France.

“If we hesitate to act, the gray zone will only expand,” she emphasized.

Under von der Leyen's leadership, the EU's executive branch is developing a plan for Europe to address such challenges by 2030. EU officials suggest that Russia might be capable of launching an attack on another European country within three to five years.

The strategy involves the creation of a “drone wall” equipped with high-tech systems to detect, track, and destroy drones, and to disable their operating systems or pilots on the ground.

In two weeks, von der Leyen will present a “road map” for strengthening Europe’s defenses by the end of the decade to the 27-member bloc for approval by their heads of state and governments.

She noted that it's economically unsustainable for European countries to continuously deploy next-generation fighter jets to counter relatively inexpensive drones, as was the case when several drones entered Polish airspace a month ago.

“This is absolutely not sustainable. We need an anti-drone system that is affordable and fit for purpose for swift detection, swift interception, and when needed, swift neutralization,” she remarked, noting that Europe has much to learn from Ukraine’s experiences.

The commission insists that investments in defense must stimulate job creation and economic growth in Europe, with 65 percent of EU-funded projects based on the continent.

In recent years, two-thirds of defense orders from member states have gone to US companies.

“Most investment goes outside Europe. In other words, these are jobs outside Europe. This is absolutely not sustainable,” von der Leyen stated. “This is European money, and we want to see a return on this investment in jobs here in Europe.”

During a summit in Copenhagen last week, some EU leaders appeared to take a firmer stance on drone incidents, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, and sanctions violations. Denmark has not yet directly attributed recent drone flights over the country to Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for a more assertive European stance against Russia by shooting down intruding drones and intercepting ships in shadow fleets illegally transporting oil to cut off funding for Moscow’s war efforts. (AP)

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)