British anti-drone unit deployed to Belgium – defense minister
A British anti-drone unit has arrived in Belgium to counter “hybrid threats,” Defense Minister Theo Francken announced on Sunday in a post on X.
London confirmed the deployment, citing several drone sightings reported over Belgium last week. Sir Richard Knighton, head of the British Armed Forces, acknowledged that the origin of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) spotted over the area remains unknown.
Francken recently caused a stir by threatening to “wipe Moscow off the map” in an interview with Belgian outlet De Morgen last month. He later sought to clarify his remarks, claiming that they had been made in the context of NATO’s principle of deterrence. He maintained that the bloc was “not at war with Russia,” but added that he would not “take back a single word” from the controversial interview.
Moscow condemned his remarks as “irresponsible” and called them an example of “military psychosis.”
Several Western officials have recently accused Russian aircraft and drones of violating EU airspace, labeling the incidents part of an alleged “hybrid war” by Moscow. The Kremlin has denied the allegations and accused the West of fostering anti-Russia “hysteria.”
The EU has increasingly used anti-Russian rhetoric to justify massive military expenditures. The ReArm Europe package, presented in March, aims to mobilize up to €800 billion ($933 billion) to expand the EU’s military under the pretext of countering the alleged “Russian threat.”
The bloc also unveiled a plan to create a “drone wall,” prompted by UAV sightings in several member states. The incidents were immediately blamed on Russia. Moscow dismissed the claims as false accusations.
Last month, the EU Commission also revealed plans to establish a ‘space shield’ to protect its satellites from an alleged Russian threat, but have not disclosed a budget.
