NATO members call for response to stray Russian drones

 

Russian soldiers march along the Red Square during a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 7, 2019. [AFP]

Defence ministers from NATO's eastern flank on Wednesday called for a collective response to repeated violations of their airspace by Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine.

Since invading in February 2022, Moscow has carried out near-daily drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including targeting areas close to Ukraine's western borders with EU and NATO members.

Romania and Latvia said earlier this month that Russian drones and missiles flew through their airspace during an overnight attack on Ukraine.

Ministers from nine countries on NATO's eastern flank expressed their "profound concern over the repeated incursions" into allied airspace by "Russian drones and missiles", and urged "a collective answer within NATO".

They also called on the alliance to help "boost our capabilities of detecting, identifying and, if necessary, engaging low and slow flying objects".

"A robust and coordinated response on an allied level is needed, as well as the swift implementation of NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence rotational model," Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tilvar told reporters after a meeting of the defence ministers in Bucharest.

The group -- the so-called "Bucharest Nine" -- consists of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga earlier on Wednesday asked Kyiv's neighbours to explore the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles and drones.

Kicking off a regional tour in Romania, he described Russia's aerial attacks as a "global threat".

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to monitor a Russian drone that flew across its airspace towards Ukraine earlier this month, an incident that has reignited a discussion over whether the country should intercept stray Russian drones.

The current legal framework prevents such engagements during peacetime. Though officials have stressed any drones that intentionally target Romanian territory will be shot down.

Several drone fragments have also been found in Romania throughout the war.

NATO has said it had no indication any of the incidents were an "intentional attack" by Russia against alliance states.