NATO countries must deliver a clear and adequate response whenever Russian aircraft or drones violate their airspace, Czech President Petr Pavel warned, saying Moscow interprets restraint as weakness.
In an interview with České Noviny, Pavel – a former chairman of NATO’s Military Committee – said Russia is testing the Alliance’s air defenses, probing both individual nation capabilities and the coordination of NATO’s integrated air defense network.
The Russians are testing how the air defense systems of individual countries work and how the integrated NATO system reacts. They want to see how determined we are to defend ourselves, Pavel said. He restated that Russia only respects strength and resolve, not caution or hesitation.
“From the Russian point of view, weakness deserves nothing else than to be wiped the floor with,” he added.
Recalling his tenure at NATO, Pavel cited Russia’s repeated airspace violations over Turkey, which culminated in a 2015 incident when Turkish forces shot down a Russian fighter aircraft after numerous warnings.
“It took around the tenth violation – an unmistakably deliberate provocation – before the Turks lost patience and shot down one of the Russian planes,” Pavel said. “And then it stopped.”
Earlier this week, Kyiv Post reported that three unidentified drones were detected flying over Belgium’s Doel nuclear power plant on Sunday, Nov. 9.
The incident occurred near the city of Antwerp, where the Doel plant is located. A spokesperson for Engie, the company operating the facility, confirmed the sightings late Sunday evening.
The incident had no impact on the operation of the power plant, and authorities have been informed, the Engie representative said.
Last week, the Belgian military was ordered to shoot down any unidentified drones flying over its military bases after three consecutive nights of airspace violations, Chief of Defense Frederik Vansina said Monday.