EU leader sounds alarm: Russia waging “gray zone” campaign, and Europe must respond

Russia is waging a “targeted gray zone campaign” against Europe, including airspace violations, sabotage and cyberattacks that will only escalate if the Kremlin is not challenged, AP News writes, referring to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Von der Leyen said that in just two weeks, fighter jets breached Estonia’s airspace, while drones overflew military bases and critical infrastructure sites in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Romania.

“Europe must respond. We must investigate every incident, and we must 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 said.

The EU’s executive branch, under von der Leyen’s guidance, is preparing a plan for Europe to be ready to confront such challenges by 2030. The plan includes the development of a “drone wall” of high-tech systems linked to equipment that can detect, track and destroy drones, as well as strike their operating systems or pilots on the ground.

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.