European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has issued a warning that Russia is “deliberately and intentionally” operating a “grey zone campaign” against Europe, calling on EU governments to “leave your comfort zone” and bolster a collective defense. Speaking to MEPs in Strasbourg, she referenced recent incursions into European airspace over Poland, Romania, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium and Germany as “something new and dangerous happening in our skies.”
Von der Leyen stressed that the airspace incidents, alongside acts of sabotage to critical infrastructure, cyberattacks, election interference, and disinformation can be viewed as part of a coherent strategy to escalate hybrid warfare to unsettle citizens, divide the Union, and weaken support for Ukraine. “Every square cm of our territory must be defended,” she said, calling for better investigations of incidents and better attribution of responsibility.
In response to the danger posed by drones, the Commission has proposed building a “drone wall” along the eastern flank with the objective of detecting and neutralizing aerial threats. While support for the initiative has picked up, it has also highlighted political divides within the group, with Germany and France questioning its viability, and Spain and Italy arguing for a more extend coverage beyond the East. Von der Leyen clarified that the initiative will be a “360-degree shield” protecting all borders of the EU in a wide range of scenarios from Russian drone incursions to weaponized migration and monitoring of shadow fleets.
She also placed emphasis on making “Made in Europe” a priority in developing defensive capabilities to ensure some degree of strategic autonomy. “The choice is simple,” she concluded. “Either we watch Russian threats escalate or we meet them, united, with deterrence and resolve.”
