Russian drones can strike almost every EU capital but one, media says
Illustrative photo: Russian Shahed drones can fly as far as Spain (Getty Images)
Russia can launch Shahed strike drones against Denmark, Germany, and Italy, and if it deploys sites in Belarus, it can even reach Spain. Almost all European capitals, except for Lisbon, Portugal, are within the strike zone, according to Defense Express.
Flight range and possible launch areas
According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), the flight range of Geran 2 drones is 1,800-2,500 km.
"As for the launch areas, part of Russia's launch infrastructure for attacks on Ukraine may well be used for the effective launch of drones on countries in the European segment of NATO," the article says.
For example, in the area of Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea and near Bryansk. Another area that is advantageous in terms of target reachability and ease of logistics is the St. Petersburg area, which is considered the most advantageous for creating a launch site.
Source: Defense Express
Drone strike zones
Thus, with a flight range of 1,800 km, the drones are capable of attacking all Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, most of Germany, and southern Italy.
If the range of the Geran-2 reaches 2,500 km, the entire United Kingdom, Italy, and a significant part of France will be within the strike zone.
Experts have pointed out that it takes only a few months to deploy new launch sites in Russia. If necessary, they can be quickly created, for example, at the Osovtsy airbase in the Brest region of Belarus.
The possibility of launching from the Kaliningrad region is also not ruled out. The technical gain in range is about 700 km, which allows almost all of Europe to be targeted, including half of Spain and Madrid.
This means that all European capitals, except for Lisbon, Portugal, are within the range of Russian Shahed missiles.
Source: Defense Express
Maximum capabilities and challenges for Europe
Defense Express notes that these are maximum flight ranges. Russia launches drones along complex routes to bypass Ukrainian air defense systems.
At the same time, recent attacks on Poland have revealed gaps in air defense even on NATO's eastern flank.
"Russia can fully expect that after breaking through the first echelon of air defense at the border, the Shahed drones will be able to move quite freely. At the same time, the means available to European countries to destroy these threats are currently hundreds of times more expensive," the specialized resource emphasizes.
Drones in Denmark and Norway
On the evening of September 22, Copenhagen International Airport in Denmark was temporarily closed due to the appearance of several drones in the airspace.
On the night of September 23, Gardermoen Airport in Oslo (Norway) was completely closed after unknown drones were detected.
Later, Denmark reported that the drones that caused the closure of Copenhagen Airport were controlled by a competent operator who wanted to demonstrate his capabilities. However, no suspects were found.
Russian drones in Poland
On the night of September 10, about 20 Russian drones crossed Polish airspace during massive attacks on Ukraine.
In response, Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled and, for the first time in modern Polish history, used weapons in their own airspace to destroy foreign objects.
After the attack in Poland, fragments of drones and missiles were found throughout the week, and on September 21, objects resembling drones were discovered simultaneously in 2 different regions of the country.
