By LORNE COOK, Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — Europe is facing a strategically covert campaign orchestrated by Russia, characterized by airspace intrusions, acts of sabotage, and cyberattacks, according to a warning from the European Union’s chief official on Wednesday. The campaign is predicted to intensify unless the Kremlin is confronted.
The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, highlighted that within a span of two weeks, military planes violated Estonia’s airspace, and drones were spotted over key military and infrastructure sites across Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Romania.
“Europe must take action. We need to investigate each incident thoroughly and must not hesitate to hold those accountable to ensure that every inch of our territory remains secure,” von der Leyen told members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
“If we hesitate to act, the gray zone will only expand,” she said.
Under von der Leyen’s leadership, the EU’s executive body is working on a strategic plan to ready Europe for such threats by 2030. EU authorities anticipate the possibility of Russia unleashing an assault on another European nation within a timeframe of three to five years.
The proposal includes constructing a sophisticated “drone wall” composed of advanced systems that can detect, track, and neutralize drones, as well as target the operations systems or personnel controlling them.
In two weeks, von der Leyen is expected to present a comprehensive “road map” aimed at enhancing Europe’s defensive capabilities by the decade’s end, which will be submitted to the 27-member EU’s heads of states and governments for approval.
Von der Leyen said that it’s simply not affordable for European countries to continue to scramble the latest-generation fighter jets to counter relatively cheap drones, as happened when several of them 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 said, adding that Europe has much to learn in this from Ukraine.
The commission believes that the best way to encourage European countries to invest more in defense is to ensure that it creates jobs and is good for business in Europe. It insists that at least 65% of any project funded with EU money should be based on the continent.
In recent years, the member nations have placed about two-thirds of their orders with U.S. defense companies.
“Most investment goes outside Europe. In other words these are jobs outside Europe. This is absolutely not sustainable,” von der Leyen said. “This is European money and we want to see a return on this investment in jobs here in Europe.”
At a summit in Copenhagen last week, the position of some EU leaders toward the drone incidents, acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and sanction-busting appeared to have hardened. Denmark has not directly attributed a series of drone flights over the country in recent weeks to Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe must take a more aggressive approach with Russia by shooting down drones that enter European airspace and boarding shadow fleet ships illicitly transporting oil to deprive Moscow of war revenue.
Originally Published: October 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM EDT
