Russian drones pose choice for Europe: risk escalation or face accusations of weakness - Guardian
Europe is faced with a difficult dilemma due to the incursion of Russian drones into the airspace of EU countries.
Leaders must choose between the risk of escalating the conflict and the unwillingness to appear weak, writes The Guardian, reports Censor.NET.
According to the publication, Russia's hybrid war is now affecting even those cities that previously did not feel the effects of the war in Ukraine. Moscow is likely using tankers from its "shadow fleet" as launch pads for drones - they could be the reason for the closure of airports in Denmark.
In Germany and Poland, there are already calls to allow the police to shoot down drones, but such actions could cause a political crisis or even direct confrontation. As The Guardian notes, European leaders are forced to act in a "gray zone" - between peace and war, where the boundaries of aggression are blurred.
Inaction is also not an option: polls show that most EU citizens expect their governments to take joint action to strengthen security. At the same time, there is growing fear in Europe that US support cannot be relied upon in the event of a serious crisis.
Paul Taylor, an analyst at the European Policy Center, warns: "The worse the situation gets, the less Europeans are able to make decisions. This only encourages Putin to engage in more provocations."
