Netherlands opens fire on suspicious drones near air base housing US nuclear weapons
Dutch forces attempted to shoot down mysterious drones spotted near the Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced on Nov. 22.
"Last night, drones were spotted above Volkel Air Base," Brekelmans wrote on X. "Weapons were deployed from the ground to shoot them down. The drones left and have not (yet) been found."
The incident is currently under investigation, Brekelmans said.
The Volker Air Base houses U.S. nuclear weapons and Dutch F-35 fighter jets. It is not the first military base in Europe with an American nuclear arsenal to be plagued by suspicious drones in recent weeks: Drones were sighted near Belgium's Kleine Brogel Air Base for three nights in a row between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2.
In response, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that the sightings appeared to be part of an espionage operation. He did not name the culprit but linked the incidents to recent Russian airspace violations in Europe.
In September, Polish forces shot down several Russian drones that entered their airspace. Days later, a Russian drone breached Romanian territory, though Bucharest chose not to engage it. Shortly after that, three Russian MiG-31 jets breached Estonian airspace.
Since then, a wave of mysterious drone incursions in fall 2025 afflicted multiple European countries, including Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 6. that Europe believes Russia is behind these incidents, but "can't prove it."
Brekelmans on Nov. 22 reiterated that drones are prohibited from operating at military facilities.
"Drones are NOT permitted at military sites," he wrote. "We will take action where necessary."
