Czech President: NATO should use force against Russian drone and jet provocations
Photo: Petr Pavel, President of Czechia (Getty Images)
NATO countries must respond appropriately when Russian aircraft or drones violate their airspace, said Czech President Petr Pavel, České noviny reports.
According to Pavel, Russia is currently testing NATO countries, probing how individual nations’ air defense systems work and how the Alliance’s integrated air defense network functions. Russia also wants to assess how determined NATO members are to defend themselves.
He noted that Russia respects only those who show strength and determination. If you show restraint, Moscow sees it as weakness, according to Pavel.
"And weakness, from Russia’s point of view, deserves only to be used to wipe the floor," the Czech leader emphasized.
Pavel recalled that when he chaired NATO’s Military Committee, Russia repeatedly violated Turkish airspace.
"Only after about the tenth violation, which was clearly a deliberate provocation, as Russia was testing how far it could go, the Turks got angry and shot down one of those Russian aircraft. And things quieted down," he added.
Russian provocations
Earlier, Russian drones had repeatedly violated the airspace of Romania, Poland, Lithuania, and other countries.
In September, up to 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace at once. They were intercepted and shot down.
That same month, Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace. NATO did not issue a military response.
Against this backdrop, Alliance members have begun discussing the possibility of shooting down Russian aircraft if they violate NATO airspace.
