'Get serious' — Russia is already at war with Europe, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister says
Russia is already at war with Europe, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsia has said in an interview with the Guardian published on Oct. 4.
Kyslytsia warned that Europe needs to "get serious" about the existential threat posed by Russia, and recent drone incursions into EU countries were a deliberate attempt to "move the red lines." H
Over the last few weeks, drones have violated the airspace of at least eight European countries. The wave began with 19 drones crossing into Polish territory in early September.
Since then, other incidents have been reported in Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Germany, with the latest in Belgium, in some cases triggering airspace closures and flight delays.
Kyslytsia said that if Russia does not face a firm response from the U.S. and EU, Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue "escalate escalating," having more actions to disrupt and paralyse the West.
"I'm sure Putin gets emotional if not physical satisfaction, humiliating the West by showing what he perceives as his super-strength," Kyslytsia said.
Putin, speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 2, mocked European concern over drone sightings, denied stationing troops on the Finnish border, and dismissed NATO as a "paper tiger."
When asked by a moderator "why have you sent so many drones to Denmark?" Putin laughed and replied, "I won’t do it anymore." He denied Russian involvement in recent drone activity and likened the sightings to UFO reports.
In Denmark, drones were spotted near multiple military installations, including the Karup Air Base. One incident forced the shutdown of Aalborg Airport for nearly an hour. Similar scenes unfolded across Germany and Lithuania, where three drones near Vilnius airport caused delays to several flights.
In Finland, a drone flew over a power plant in Rovaniemi. Danish officials even considered invoking NATO’s Article 4, a clause used when a member feels its territorial integrity is under threat.
