Yesterday, 1st October 2025, Copenhagen hosted an informal summit of E.U. leaders, convened in the wake of repeated drone incursions that have disrupted several Danish airports in recent days. The agenda centred on bolstering Europe’s defence, particularly counter-drone systems, and sustaining support for Ukraine. The nature of the drone incursions remains unclear; current hypotheses vary, including the possibility that they are part of a hybrid-warfare strategy by an unidentified state actor. In particular, some reports point to a “shadow fleet” linked to Moscow, specifically the tanker Boracay, which was sailing near Denmark at the time, as a potential launch platform. However, no public evidence has yet confirmed any direct connection between that fleet and the incidents.

The meeting was convened amid the anxiety triggered by these incursions to safeguard the security of the European continent, as underlined by European Council President António Costa. “We can say this resembles a model of hybrid warfare we have seen elsewhere in Europe,” said Finn Borch Andersen, head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, at a press conference last Thursday. “I would remind you – as many of you know – that we assess the risk of Russian espionage in Denmark to be high, and we also assess the risk of Russian sabotage in Denmark to be high.” However, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen cautioned: “We have no evidence to make a direct link to Russia.”

Recent incidents were not limited to Denmark. In Norway, the airspace around Oslo Airport was closed for about three hours following drone sightings. In Germany, Berlin Brandenburg Airport suffered major disruption due to a ransomware attack that disabled check-in and boarding systems. In response, the European Union has proposed a package of measures called Eastern Flank Watch, announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The package incorporates a proposal first advanced by the Baltic states, initially developed after Russian drone incursions in Poland, to build a security “drone wall.”

The drone wall would consist of a layered network of radar sensors and R.F. receivers to detect, track, and neutralize hostile drones along the E.U.’s eastern flank. In addition, Eastern Flank Watch foresees stronger ground defenses through fortifications and anti-mobility systems, as well as a space-based component for surveillance and early warning that fuses air, land, and sea data. Within this framework, Ukraine would act as a technical partner, sharing battle-tested expertise and participating in an E.U.–Ukraine drone partnership.

The timeline remains uncertain, but policymakers are discussing a phased rollout; an initial capability within roughly a year, with fuller deployment over the following two to four years.

Meanwhile, Moscow has not claimed responsibility for either the earlier incursions in Poland or the more recent ones in Denmark. At the same time, statements made today by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova shed light on how the plan to build a drone wall might be read in Russia. Asked whether we are facing a new Cold War, Zakharova replied: “I would disagree with the comparison with the Cold War. We are already in another form of conflict. There has been no ‘cold’ here for a long time; there is already fire here.” She also rejected allegations that Russia had intruded into N.A.T.O. or E.U. airspace, framing them as provocations and attempts to justify new military budgets. In this context, the European move is likely to be perceived in Moscow less as defensive than as escalatory, and potentially used as a pretext for further assertive policies toward European countries.

In any case, the European project is still largely undefined. First, member states must bridge their differences over implementation and financing; then they need to turn broad guidelines into operational solutions on a realistic timeline—against an international backdrop that now privileges realpolitik over international law.