Overview

• Allies unveiled Operation Centinela Oriental to reinforce the eastern flank with coordinated air and missile defenses and dedicated counter‑drone measures, with contributions pledged by France, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain.
• Poland says roughly 19 drones violated its airspace and were partly shot down with allied support, prompting Article 4 consultations, a troop mobilization and the closure of its border with Belarus.
• Russia and Belarus opened the Zapad‑2025 exercises that include simulations of tactical nuclear use and Oreshnik hypersonic missiles, with activities in Belarus, Russia and the Baltic and Barents seas.
• At the UN, the United States warned it would defend every centimetre of NATO territory, Russia denied responsibility for the incursion and UN officials said they could not independently verify the reports.
• Allied officials questioned the expense of using fighter jets and Patriot interceptors against low‑cost drones, accelerating calls to integrate defenses and scale up counter‑drone capabilities across Europe.