It is time to tackle Russia’s “hybrid warfare” by openly recognizing the threat and deterring future provocations, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
The President of the European Commission stressed that over the past two weeks, Russian drones and warplanes have violated the airspace of six European countries, flying fighter jets, grounding commercial flights and posing a direct threat to EU citizens.
“One incident can be a mistake. Two incidents are a coincidence,” Von der Leyen said in a speech to the EU parliament. “But three, five, ten – this is a deliberate and targeted gray zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a joint press conference in Brussels on August 17, 2025. (Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty Images)
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The EU chief said these air threats are just the latest in a series of kinetic and non-kinetic Russian attacks that have targeted undersea cables, airports, logistics hubs and elections across the continent, using both direct force and cyber-based aggression.
“These incidents are meant to remain stuck in the twilight of denial,” Von der Leyen said. “This is not random intimidation. It is a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our citizens, test our resolve, divide our union and weaken our support for Ukraine, and it is time to call the country by its name.
“This is hybrid warfare and we have to take it very seriously,” she said.
Von der Leyen said much has already been done to better tackle Russia’s growing aggression, including the mobilization of almost $930 billion in defense spending until 2030 – which she said is the largest “increase in defense spending in the history of the Union”.
But the EU chief said more needs to be done, including promoting a “new mentality” when it comes to EU security among the public.
Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jets and MiG-29 fighter jets fly over Moscow during the dress rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in May. 7, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP via Getty Images)
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“Tackling Russia’s hybrid war is not just about traditional defense, it’s about software for drones. It’s about spare parts for pipelines. It’s about rapid cyber response teams, and it’s about public information campaigns to raise awareness,” she said. “We have to be ready to leave our comfort zone.”
Countries like Germany are already taking new action to counter Russia’s gray zone tactics, and on Wednesday German lawmakers cleared the way for local police forces to shoot down drones.
The plan, championed on Wednesday by German Chancellor Frederick Merz, still needs to be approved by the national parliament but comes less than a week after planes were grounded at Munich airport due to nearby drone sightings.
A sign indicates a no-drone zone as flights resume at Munich Airport after a temporary suspension early this morning due to drone sightings on October 4, 2025 in Erding, Germany. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
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“Drone incidents threaten our safety,” Merz said in a message on
Local reporting earlier this week also reported that laser systems have been installed to better pinpoint unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sightings after several incidents involving drones disrupted airports across Europe in recent months.
