NATO eyes Ukrainian counter-drone tactics after Russian incursions — FT

Last week’s response to Russia’s incursion into the airspace of Poland and Romania revealed NATO’s reliance on expensive technology to intercept relatively cheap drones — a clear vulnerability that Moscow could exploit further.

To close this gap, Brussels has urged member states to use EU funds and jointly procure systems that have proven effective in Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must "build a drone wall" along its eastern border. She highlighted that it will be "a European capability, developed, deployed and maintained jointly, and able to respond in real time."

The article noted that Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland — all EU states bordering Russia — have announced plans to strengthen their borders. However, officials warn that these measures will only be effective if they are unified and based on common, fully integrated technologies.

"Europe’s defensive posture is far too fragmented," said an EU official.

"This is exactly the area where we really need to establish much better coordination… It cannot be that one frontline state does one thing at its border and another does something else… Russia will simply adapt to our weakest points."

To cover the gap while new defense systems are procured, NATO launched an air defense operation — Eastern Sentry — involving fighter jets, ships, and reconnaissance systems deployed along the eastern flank, from Finland to Bulgaria.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has pioneered innovations in air defense. While Kyiv depends on Western partners for missile interception systems, it has become a leader in developing cost-effective ways to counter Russian attack drones.

Because standard radars cannot detect low-flying Shahed drones, Ukrainian tech companies developed a nationwide system of acoustic sensors capable of identifying them by sound. This information is then transmitted to hundreds of mobile teams equipped with anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns — a much cheaper solution than missile interceptors.

"The entire concept of drone warfare has changed the character of modern armed conflicts… There is certainly a need to develop new countermeasures, especially against unmanned systems," Brigadier General Markku Viitasaari, Director of Finland’s National Defense Command, said.

"Some options already exist and are in use, but new technologies and methods are required."

Russian drone attack on Poland, Sept. 10  

On the night of Sept. 10, about 20 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace, many of them from Belarus. Four UAVs were shot down.

On Sept. 12, Polish authorities confirmed that the attack involved 21 drones. It became known later they were Russian Geran drones without warheads.

Warsaw convened an emergency government meeting and tightened security measures. NATO, in response, activated Article 4 of the alliance treaty, which provides for consultations among member states in case of a threat to one of them.

Polish and European authorities accused Russia of carrying out a deliberate, coordinated attack and dismissed claims of Ukrainian involvement.

On Sept. 13, Poland announced the launch of NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission in response to the UAV attack.