The EU’s top diplomat said that Moscow was “gambling with war” after a spate of Russian drones and jets violating NATO’s airspace.
NATO has boosted its defences along its eastern borders as it accused Moscow of testing the alliance’s air defences with drone incursions into several members and by flying military jets in Estonian airspace.
“Every time a Russian drone or plane violates our airspace, there is a risk of escalation, unintended or not. Russia is gambling with war,” Kaja Kallas said during a visit to Kyiv.
“To keep war at bay, we must translate the economic power of Europe into military deterrence,” she added.
Kallas was in Kyiv for talks on military and financial support for Ukraine, and especially its energy infrastructure, as Russia has resumed attacks on power plants ahead of winter.
Ukraine on Monday was forced to introduce power cuts across seven central and eastern regions as a result of the attacks, which Kyiv has called “cynical.”
“The enemy wants to affect the spirit and mood of our population,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said during a joint press conference with Kallas.
“This is especially cynical on the eve of winter,” he added.
Ukraine retaliates by targeting Russian oil refineries, aiming to hamper funding of its war machine.
It has launched more than 30 strikes on Russian energy sites since the beginning of August, also triggering a spike in petrol prices inside Russia.
An oil depot was struck overnight in Russian-occupied Crimea, sparking a large fire, according to the region’s Moscow-installed governor and a source in Ukraine’s security services.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone struck a car carrying a married couple in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing them both, local authorities said.
Kallas also indicated that Brussels backed the delivery of US long-range Tomahawk missile supplies to Ukraine.
“We welcome all tools that make Ukraine stronger and Russia weaker,” she said.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he may warn his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that Ukraine could get the cruise missiles if Moscow does not end its invasion. Moscow has warned against supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, saying it would be a major escalation.
Germany Concerned
Germany’s foreign intelligence chief said on Monday that Russia posed a direct threat and the current “icy peace” with the European Union could erupt at any moment into “heated confrontation”.
Martin Jaeger, the head of Germany’s BND spy service, told lawmakers that Russia was determined to expand its sphere of influence further westward into Europe.
“To achieve this goal, Russia will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary,” Jaeger, who took over leadership of the agency last month, said at a public briefing with members of parliament in Berlin.
Jaeger was joined by the leaders of Germany’s domestic and military intelligence agencies.
Although they mentioned other threats facing Germany, such as political and religious extremism, it was Russia that dominated their remarks.
Jaeger, who previously served as German ambassador in Kyiv, echoed other spy chiefs speaking on Monday in saying Russian ambitions and aggression were not limited to the war in Ukraine.
“We must not sit back and assume that a possible Russian attack would come in 2029 at the earliest,” Jaeger said, referring to an earlier intelligence assessment.
“We are already under fire today.”
Jaeger said Moscow appeared determined to undermine the NATO alliance and destabilise European democracies.
“The means Moscow uses are well-known — attempted manipulation of elections and public opinion, propaganda, provocations, disinformation, espionage, sabotage, airspace violations by drones and fighter jets, contract killings, persecution of opposition figures living abroad,” Jaeger said.
The new leader of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency, Sinan Selen, pointed to numerous incidents in September involving drone incursions, GPS jamming disruptions and incursions by Russian fighter jets into NATO airspace.
He said they underscored the scope of the threat.
“Although investigations are still ongoing, the options for attack available to a hybrid actor in airspace have become clear,” Selen said.
“Russia is undoubtedly aggressive, offensive and increasingly escalatory.”
Via: Agence France-Presse
