NATO Bolsters Baltic Sea Forces as 'Drone Fear' Spreads Across Europe

Unidentified Drones Spotted in Denmark and Norway
Suspicions Point to Russia; NATO Vows to "Mobilize All Means"
Zelensky Claims "Putin Is Preparing to Attack Europe"

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has recently strengthened its forces in the Baltic Sea in response to a series of drone incursions reported in Denmark and other European countries.

According to major foreign media outlets on the 27th (local time), NATO has deployed at least one air defense escort ship and new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets to expand its monitoring operations. In a statement, NATO announced, "We will carry out enhanced vigilance activities by deploying new multi-domain assets in the Baltic Sea region," and explained that it has improved its capabilities to detect and intercept drone threats. This measure is an extension of the "Baltic Sentry" operation, which has been underway since January in response to incidents of undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea.

Corrugated cardboard suicide drone. Photo is not directly related to the article.

Across Europe, fears of Russian drones have been spreading recently. On the 10th, 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace, and the Danish Ministry of Defense announced that suspicious drone activity was detected near military facilities starting from the previous night. Norwegian authorities also reported repeated drone sightings around an air force base.

On the 19th, Estonia announced that three Russian fighter jets had violated its airspace. In response, NATO warned Russia that "all necessary military and non-military tools will be mobilized."

While European countries are pointing to Russia as being behind the drone incursions, Russia has countered by claiming, "Ukraine is orchestrating these incidents to create a pretext for war." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, "Any attack on my homeland will face a decisive response."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argued, "Russia is testing the air defense capabilities of various European countries," and added, "President Putin is preparing to attack other European countries even before the war in Ukraine is over." He further stated, "Russia is aiming for a larger conflict."