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EU Lawmakers Urge Readiness to Down Airspace Intruders as NATO Weighs Tougher Rules

The vote signals rising alarm over deniable drone incursions labeled by officials as hybrid warfare.

Soldiers patrol the street after a drone struck a residential building, following violations of Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine, in Wyryki municipality, Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument of Ismoli Somoni in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 8, 2025.
A couple sits as police inspect damage to their house, destroyed by debris from a shot-down Russian drone in the village of Wyryki-Wola, eastern Poland, on September 10, 2025.
Polish soldiers stand next to a Polish "Waran" armored multipurpose vehicle equipped with the Gladius drone system, during a military equipment display following military exercises of Poland and NATO allied countries in Orzysz, northwestern Poland, on September 17, 2025.

Overview

  • European Parliament adopted a resolution urging member states to be prepared to shoot down unauthorized drones and aircraft that violate EU airspace, passing 469–97 with 38 abstentions.
  • Lawmakers backed concepts such as an EU cross-border counter‑UAV network often dubbed a drone wall and endorsed coordinated, proportionate responses to airspace violations.
  • According to reporting cited by multiple outlets, NATO allies are discussing easing pilots’ rules of engagement and considering deploying armed surveillance drones along the Russian border, with talks described as early and not yet resulting in decisions.
  • Germany moved to grant federal police authority to down drones after airport disruptions, a plan promoted by Chancellor Friedrich Merz that still requires parliamentary approval.
  • NATO has intensified eastern air policing under Operation Eastern Sentry as recent incidents include three MiG‑31s briefly entering Estonian airspace and drone sightings over Poland, Romania, Denmark and Germany, while public attribution remains disputed and Russia denies responsibility.