Parliament condemns Russian drone incursions into the EU

According to MEPs, drone incursions and airspace violations over EU territory are not isolated incidents, but an integral part of Russia’s broader strategy to intimidate the EU and its allies. These hostile acts are exacerbated by an aggressive disinformation campaign aimed at intimidating the population in these areas, sowing fear, damaging the local economy and creating a pretext for possible retaliation.

A deliberate threat to the EU’s security

Russia is fully and unequivocally responsible for these reckless attacks, which escalate the conflict and endanger lives. MEPs add that Russia’s actions constitute a deliberate and systematic threat to the security, resilience and sovereignty of the EU and its Member States. They also highlight Belarus’s complicity and condemn the country for its hybrid attacks against the EU.

Parliament affirms that the EU will not be intimidated by the Russian campaign and remains united in its determination to defend the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU Member States, as well as to continue supporting Ukraine. MEPs express their full solidarity with Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, whose territories, airspace or critical infrastructure have been targeted by Russian hybrid provocations.

Support for Ukraine and Moldova

There is an urgent need to step up the production and delivery of priority military equipment to Ukraine, in particular air defence systems, ammunition, drones and missiles. MEPs also emphasise that, in order to counter the threats posed by Russian drones, cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, alongside Ukraine, is essential in terms of operational efficiency, situational awareness and information sharing. Member States should therefore increase funding for Moldova through theEuropean Peace Facility.

Strengthening the EU and NATO’s eastern flank

The resolution calls for the urgent creation of a genuine European Defence Union and stresses that greater integration, coordination and pooling of resources are indispensable for an effective EU response to the growing threats from Russia.

MEPs state that the eastern flank of the EU and NATO must be strengthened across its entire length, from the Arctic to the Black Sea, including land, sea and air, to counter drones and weather balloons. They emphasise that Russia’s deliberate incursions are not only intended to provoke and destabilise Member States, but also to test and exploit weaknesses in NATO’s detection and response capabilities.

The resolution was adopted with 412 votes in favour, 63 against and 53 abstentions.