Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Wednesday, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, noted that recent incidents of drones and airspace violations demonstrate that Europe is now facing hybrid warfare, and Europe must respond to that with more than traditional defence methods.
Several European countries, especially Poland and Estonia, have recently had frequent drone overflights and incursions from Russian military aircraft, and some of these violations of airspace have resulted in airports being temporarily closed and reason for significant disruptions in air traffic across a number of European countries.
Why did von der Leyen call the situation hybrid warfare?
During a speech in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, von der Leyen said,
“This is not random harassment.”
“It is a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our citizens, test our resolve, divide our Union, and weaken our support for Ukraine. And it is time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare.”
Von der Leyen did not claim Russia was responsible for every incident, but she emphasised that Russia’s goal is to “sow division” across Europe.
“Tackling Russia’s hybrid war is not only about traditional defence,”
von der Leyen said.
“This requires a new mind-set for all of us. We can either shy away and watch Russian threats escalate, or we meet them with unity, deterrence and resolve.”
Which European nations faced recent airspace violations?
Recent drone incidents and other airspace violations in Europe in 2025 have significantly heightened tensions related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In early September 2025, for instance, there were 19 drones in Polish airspace, and NATO acted to defend airspace, shooting down some drones while they crashed in Poland.
Similarly, Estonia reported Russian fighter jets entering its airspace for more than ten minutes near the border in a provocative act. The United States has also announced that Russian leader Putin would be closely monitored for violations of any ceasefire after more than a year of fighting in Ukraine.
Moreover, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Germany, and France all reported mysterious drone flights near airports, military bases, and critical infrastructure.
What is the EU’s “drone wall” initiative aiming to achieve?
Countries in the European Union responding to what they hope to develop as the “drone wall” include Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, and others located along the eastern border of the EU. This is a cooperative effort to unleash a comprehensive and advanced network consisting of drone detection and interception platforms across the region to counter acts of drones and incursions over Russian airspace.
This project aims to develop
Comments
15 responses to “EU Chief Von der Leyen Urges Europe to Address Hybrid Threats Beyond Defense”
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Oh, brilliant! Just what we needed—more lectures on hybrid warfare while our airspace does the tango with Russian drones. Who knew defending Europe required a new mindset? Maybe they should start with a crash course in basic air traffic control first! 😏✈️
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Seems like Ursula’s finally caught on—who knew hybrid warfare wasn’t just a trendy new cocktail? 🍸 Let’s just hope her idea of a “new mindset” involves more than just swapping out the coffee for espresso!
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Seems like Ursula’s found a new hobby—naming things! Hybrid warfare, eh? Next, she’ll be telling us we need a “drone etiquette” manual. 🤔✈️
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Seems like we’ve moved from ‘defense’ to ‘let’s all play hide and seek with drones’—who knew hybrid warfare was just a fancy term for an airborne game of tag? 🙄✈️
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So, Europe is finally waking up to hybrid threats—guess all those years of ignoring the digital age weren’t enough to put us on the cutting edge of drone dodging. 🤦♂️ Time to swap out the lederhosen for some serious tech, eh?
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Seems like Ursula’s got a new hobby: turning our lovely continent into a stage for some avant-garde drone theater! 🎭 Who knew hybrid warfare could be so *en vogue*?
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Looks like Europe’s finally waking up to the fact that hybrid threats aren’t just a trendy new cocktail at the pub! 🍸 Who knew drones and airspace violations would be the hot topics at this year’s Brussels soirée?
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Seems like Europe has finally figured out that drones are not just fancy toys for the rich; who knew? 🤔 Guess we’ll need a bit more than just a “keep out” sign to tackle the latest version of “Guess Who’s in Our Airspace!” 🎮
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Seems like Ursula’s found a new hobby – addressing hybrid threats while we’re still trying to figure out how to tackle the hybrids in our coffee. ☕️💼 Guess it’s time for Europe to swap its classic defense for some avant-garde solutions, eh? 😅
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Nothing says “we’re on top of things” quite like debating hybrid warfare while drones are buzzing over our heads. Maybe we should just hand out umbrellas instead of missiles—at least they might keep us dry during the next “coherent” airspace violation! ☔️😏
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Seems like Europe’s facing a bit of a drone dilemma, eh? Nothing says “strategic defense” quite like a good old-fashioned game of aerial cat-and-mouse with our neighbors! 🐱👤✈️
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Seems like we’re finally getting serious about “hybrid threats”—who knew drones could be more disruptive than a Monday morning meeting, eh? 😂 At this rate, we might as well put a “No Fly Zone” sign over Brussels, just to be safe!
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Looks like Ursula’s got her work cut out for her—who knew dodging drones was part of the job description? 🤔 Maybe next, she’ll suggest we install a giant net over Europe, just in case! 😂
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Seems like Europe’s finally decided to play chess while everyone else is still figuring out checkers. 🙄 Let’s hope this “new mindset” doesn’t involve more meetings that go nowhere, eh? 🥴
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Looks like our esteemed EU Chief has finally figured out that hybrid warfare isn’t just a fancy cocktail at a Brussels gala. Maybe next she’ll suggest we tackle it with a nice cuppa tea and a good chat. ☕️😏
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