EU chief Ursula Von der Leyen on Tuesday accused Russia of “trying to destabilise” European democracies by triggering a recent rash of drone alerts in the neighbouring Baltic.
Yet the European Commission president conceded that the spate of air raid alarms in the past weeks had “exposed vulnerabilities” in the continent’s defences, at a press conference with leaders from the region bordering Russia on NATO‘s eastern flank.
Her visit comes a week after Lithuanians were ordered to head for the bunkers following a brief drone alert in the capital Vilnius, a first for the general population since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“People in the Baltic countries have been experiencing what many believed belonged to another era,” von der Leyen told the briefing alongside the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
“These are not isolated incidents. This is a deliberate strategy from Russia, trying to destabilise our democratic societies,” she added.
“But very much like on the battlefields of Ukraine, Russia is failing.”
Such alerts have become increasingly common in recent months in the Baltic states as Ukraine steps up strikes against Russian targets in the Saint Petersburg region, close to Estonia and Finland.
At Tuesday’s briefing, von der Leyen admitted that “these incidents have exposed vulnerabilities” — and warned that Moscow’s use of the tactic could spread westwards.
“What you are experiencing today, the rest of Europe could face tomorrow,” she said.
