Mysterious drone incursions into NATO and European Union airspace have sparked widespread alarm across the continent, with officials suspecting Russian involvement as a probe of alliance defences. Since last month, dozens of unauthorised flights have been reported near sensitive sites, including airports, military bases, and critical infrastructure, prompting public unease and urgent policy debates. European defence ministers convened recently to endorse a "drone wall" initiative—a networked detection system along eastern borders—to enhance monitoring and interception capabilities. The uptick coincides with Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, raising fears that Moscow is exploiting perceived vulnerabilities in NATO's collective response mechanisms.

The incidents escalated dramatically on September 10, when a swarm of Russian drones breached Polish airspace, marking the first direct NATO-Russia aerial confrontation since the full-scale war began on February 24, 2022. Polish and allied jets scrambled, downing several devices and underscoring the alliance's readiness protocols. Days later, NATO aircraft escorted three Russian warplanes out of Estonian airspace after a 12-minute violation, prompting diplomatic protests. In Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen labelled a September 22 drone overflight of Copenhagen Airport—the region's busiest hub—as potentially "the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure", halting flights and fuelling speculation of hybrid warfare tactics. Similar disruptions twice closed Munich Airport in Germany earlier this month, while a sighting at Oslo Airport in Norway restricted operations to a single runway.

Targeted sightings near military and industrial assets have intensified scrutiny. In Denmark, drones hovered over four smaller airfields, including two military ones, between September 24 and 25, with Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen attributing the "systematic flights" to a "professional" operator. Reports also emerged of overflights at Karup Air Base, Denmark's largest military installation, though officials cited operational security in withholding details. In Germany's Schleswig-Holstein, unidentified drones were spotted on September 25 above a Kiel power plant, university hospital, shipyard, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) facilities—key to submarine production. Further incursions occurred over governmental buildings, the Heide oil refinery, and a Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania military base in Sanitz. Authorities launched probes, with Schleswig-Holstein's Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack describing objects of "various types and sizes", while Prosecutor Stephanie Gropp oversees investigations into possible espionage.

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Compounding tensions, Russian military aircraft violated Lithuanian airspace on Thursday for 18 seconds, penetrating 700 metres with an SU-30 fighter and IL-78 refuelling plane near the Kaliningrad exclave—possibly during exercises. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda decried it as a "blatant breach" of sovereignty, scrambling two Spanish NATO jets for air policing. Russia's Defence Ministry denied wrongdoing, insisting flights adhered to international norms. Amid a deluge of unverified reports—Danish police fielded 500 tips in 24 hours, some mistaking stars for drones—nations grapple with response strategies, including shoot-down authorisations. As Baltic states maintain heightened vigilance against Russian aggression, these episodes test NATO's cohesion, with experts urging accelerated investments in counter-drone technologies to deter escalation.

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