EU declares Russia fully responsible for airspace violations

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution to shoot down Russian objects that violate EU airspace. The resolution also calls for a significant strengthening of defense cooperation with Ukraine, particularly in the field of drones.

This is stated on the website of the European Parliament on Thursday, October 9.

What the resolution says

The resolution was adopted by 469 votes, with 97 MEPs opposed and 38 abstentions.

In the document, MEPs strongly condemn Russia's "reckless and escalatory actions" to violate the airspace of EU and NATO member states Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. They also condemn deliberate drone incursions targeting critical infrastructure in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

This, according to MEPs, is part of Russia's "systematic military and hybrid warfare and provocations against the EU" and its member states.

"Russia bears full and unequivocal responsibility for the actions in Polish, Estonian and Romanian air spaces," the resolution says.

The resolution encourages EU countries to take "coordinated, united and proportionate action against all violations of their airspace, including shooting down airborne threats".

MEPs believe that the scale of Russia's sabotage and hybrid activities against the EU amounts to state terrorism, even if it is below the threshold of an armed attack.

"The EU must show resolve and signal that any third country attempting to violate member state sovereignty will immediately face retaliation," the document says.

In addition, the resolution calls for a significant strengthening of defense cooperation with Ukraine, in particular on drone technology and countermeasures, including increased industrial cooperation.

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