Europe must prepare for Russian attacks — Kubilius

This was stated by European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius in his speech to the European Parliament.

Kubilius noted that Russia's provocations against EU countries pose a threat to people and peace in Europe. Therefore, the bloc needs to act "very practically and effectively."

He drew attention to the fact that drones are the future of war and the future of provocations. And the European Union is still poorly prepared for this. In particular, the defense systems of the bloc's countries are actually not ready to detect drones and track border crossings. Also, shooting down a drone worth 10 thousand euros with a missile worth 1 million euros is "really impractical."

The European Commissioner stressed that all of Europe is under threat, as the Russian "Shaheeds" have a range of 2,500 kilometers. They can even reach Brussels or Strasbourg. And from container ships, drones are capable of hitting targets along the entire European coast.

According to Kubilius, in the short term, it is necessary to develop capabilities to better detect, track and identify drones using acoustic sensors, radar and satellites.

At the same time, in the long term, it is necessary to develop the ability to neutralize or destroy drones using interceptors, electronic warfare, and mobile units.

For the countries on the eastern flank, the ability to use drones to strike ground targets is needed if the enemy tries to invade. An individual approach is needed. Countries on the front line have different needs compared to others, including the Mediterranean states.

Andrius Kubilius

European Commissioner for Defence

He also added that countering Russian drones is impossible without cooperation with Ukraine, whose air defenses shoot down 70-80% of targets.

Ukrainian drones have driven the Russian fleet out of the Black Sea, halted Russia's advance, and destroyed strategic bombers and oil refineries. The Ukrainian experience should be taken into account when developing the "Drone Wall."