1A Why Are Russian Aircraft Violating NATO Airspace?
Sep 30, 2025
Emma Burroughs, European security correspondent for the Associated Press, dives into NATO's recent challenges with Russian aircraft violating airspace. She discusses incidents involving drones and MiGs in Poland, Romania, and more. Emma explores gray-zone tactics that destabilize democracies and details NATO's response strategies. The connection between Ukraine's war and these incursions is highlighted, along with the complexities of establishing no-fly zones and the impracticality of a 'drone wall.' The nuances of NATO's defensive approach and escalation risks are critically examined.
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Escalation On NATO's Eastern Flank
- NATO has faced multiple recent incursions including drones in Poland and MiG jets in Estonia that were linked to Russia.
- These events show an escalating pattern of threats across Europe's eastern flank since the Ukraine invasion.
Airport Disruptions Hint At Coordinated Campaign
- Drones shut down Copenhagen Airport and disrupted Oslo and multiple Danish airports in coordinated waves.
- Denmark labeled these events hybrid attacks, but officials stopped short of directly blaming Russia.
What Gray Zone Warfare Looks Like
- 'Gray zone' or hybrid attacks aim to destabilize below the threshold of open war using sabotage, espionage, and propaganda.
- Russia's historical 'active measures' deliberately target fear, division, and resource drains.