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Can Europe neutralize Russian drone attacks? British study reveals unpreparedness
🇬🇷 Greece /Conflict & Security

Can Europe neutralize Russian drone attacks? British study reveals unpreparedness

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • European countries are unprepared to counter Russian drone attacks and struggle to attribute responsibility, according to a British study.
  • The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) found that current European drone defense architecture is inadequate.
  • Challenges include uneven detection, fragmented judicial responses, and slow attribution hindering effective deterrence.

A recent study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reveals a significant vulnerability in Europe's defenses against Russian drone attacks. The report, co-authored with the German Hanns Seidel Foundation, concludes that European nations are currently ill-equipped to handle such threats and face considerable difficulty in definitively attributing responsibility for these incursions.

The IISS assessment indicates that the existing architecture for countering drones across Europe is insufficient to meet the challenge. Despite increased attention from NATO, the European Union, and national governments, critical weaknesses persist. These include inconsistent detection capabilities, a fragmented approach among judicial authorities, and response options that are often disproportionate to the threat.

The current architecture against drones in Europe does not yet meet the threat, despite NATO, the European Union, and national governments paying more attention to the issue: detection is uneven, judicial authorities are fragmented, response options are often disproportionate, and attribution remains too slow to support timely deterrence.

— International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)Describing the weaknesses in European drone defense.

Furthermore, the study highlights that attributing responsibility for drone incidents remains a primary obstacle. European governments have yet to publicly assign blame to Russia for any specific UAV overflights. According to European officials interviewed for the research, a key reason for this is the focus on national-level responses rather than coordinating efforts across borders to identify a larger pattern.

Klaus Hölzeck, president of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, expressed concern over the findings, stating, "It is worrying. Europe is not yet adequately prepared for this form of hybrid threat." The IISS study examined 144 incidents across 12 NATO member states and Ireland between August 2024 and February 2026, underscoring the widespread nature of the issue and the urgent need for improved European preparedness.

It is worrying. Europe is not yet adequately prepared for this form of hybrid threat.

— Klaus HölzeckCommenting on the IISS study's findings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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