In recent weeks, Europe has faced a series of incidents—from airport disruptions to cyberattacks and provocations in airspace. And although there is no direct evidence of Russia's involvement in some cases, most experts believe that Moscow is behind the aggression without a single shot fired, writes CNN.
As Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated on Thursday evening after drones caused serious disruptions at several airports, Europe must consider «more brutal and frequent hybrid attacks as a new reality».
The main feature of these attacks is the lack of clarity: the anonymous perpetrator cannot be named or stopped, regardless of the damage they cause. Frederiksen added another motive—«they want us to stop trusting our authorities».
After three days of airport closures and reports of a Russian warship spotted off the coast of Denmark with transponders turned off, Danish authorities are still unable to determine who is behind these attacks. Danish military intelligence stated on Thursday evening that they cannot «name» the culprits, and the head of the internal security police PET stated that the «risk of Russian sabotage in Denmark is high».
Denmark openly declares the threat from Putin. It has provided Ukraine with F16 fighters, will help it in creating drones, and is arming itself with long-range missiles as part of deterrence measures.
In the UK—another staunch supporter of Ukraine's defense—young criminals, united in gangs, were recruited by Russia and convicted of arson at a warehouse where goods for Ukraine were stored. Last week, British police arrested a 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman in Essex on charges under the national security law.
Poland has imprisoned young Ukrainians for arson organized by Russia.
To Europe's strained defense budgets in recent weeks of hybrid unrest, two costly urgent tasks have been added: increasing infrastructure resilience to drones and hackers, as well as large-scale, constant, and costly air defense against Russian drones and aircraft along the entire eastern border.
The cost of protection against numerous cheap drones has turned out to be very expensive. A Dutch F35 can launch a missile costing tens of thousands of euros to shoot down a Shahed-type polystyrene drone. This tactic will not work in the long term and presents a choice between refusing to intercept intruders due to too high a cost and monthly expenses of millions of dollars for reliable endless protection of NATO airspace.
Photo: Reuters