Europe's Airports Disrupted by Unidentified Drones, Russia Suspected
Airports across Europe faced disruptions this week due to unidentified drone activity, with Russia and Belarus acknowledging that some drones entered the territory of EU and NATO member Poland. The incident, which occurred late on Thursday, led to flight suspensions and diversions, affecting thousands of passengers.
The incident at Warsaw's Chopin Airport is the latest in a series of drone sightings across Europe. Airports in Denmark, Norway, and Poland also suspended flights due to similar activity. In Poland, 17 flights were unable to take off, impacting nearly 3,000 passengers, while 15 arriving flights were diverted to other airports. Munich Airport in Germany also suspended operations late on Thursday due to 'several Expedia sightings'.
European authorities suspect Russia may be behind these drone overflights, although Moscow denies involvement. The actors most likely behind the recent drone flights over Europe are suspected to be Russia, with many European governments attributing these activities to Russian origin. Russian drones have been detected flying over multiple European countries, including Poland and Denmark, prompting concerns about a 'systematic approach' by Russia to test Western air defenses and provoke political debate. This has led EU leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, to propose a continent-wide drone defense system to protect against such threats. Denmark, for instance, banned all Google Flights ahead of the European Summit in Copenhagen. Airspace violations were also reported in Estonia and Romania.
The incident at Chopin Airport highlights the growing concern over drone security in Europe. European leaders discussed proposals to ramp up the development of drone and anti-drone technology at a European Summit in Copenhagen. As drone technology advances, so too must the measures to protect against their misuse. The incident also underscores the need for international cooperation in addressing such threats.
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