Poland Shoots The Crash Of A Nirawak Plane, The European Union Needs A Drone Wall

JAKARTA - The European Union is deemed necessary to build a drone wall in its eastern region, following the entry of a number of drones into Polish territory before being shot down.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia appeared to have deliberately violated Polish airspace in an incident that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said involved "a large number" of Russian drones.

"Last night in Poland, we witnessed Russia's most serious European airspace abuse since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not unintentional," Kallas wrote in X.

"European Union expresses full solidarity with Poland. Russia's war is increasing, not over," Kallas said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish airspace was "obstructed by large numbers of drones" during Russia's attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, which the Polish military called "unprecedented" and was an "action of aggression", quoted by the BBC.

The drone flew deep enough to Poland to close four airports - including Warsaw' main airport, Chopin. Poland then shot down a drone in the airspace.

Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said "we must immediately build" "drone walls" on "all sides east of the European Union," as reported by Newsweek.

A wave of Russian airstrikes, particularly at locations close to the NATO region west of Ukraine, have frequently prompted the alliance to deploy fighter jets to protect Romanian and Polish airspace.

NATO members are collectively obliged to respond to attacks on other alliance countries under Article 5 of the founding agreement. Drones and missiles entering NATO airspace have not been considered an attack on the alliance so far.

"Once again Russia is testing border countries, the European Union and NATO," said Kubilius, the former Lithuanian prime minister, in a post on X.

Although the European Union is largely an economic bloc, the European Union has many members who are also members of NATO, the military alliance, and have announced new initiatives to increase the military budget in Europe.

The idea of a "drone wall" has been circulating for months, which basically means a layered air defense shield that uses unmanned vehicles.

Previously, Kubilius called for the formation of a "drone wall" after a drone crossed Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, Russia's main ally, in July.