Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she welcomed the European Union’s plan to create a so-called “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern border, but called the idea “very raw.”

Bloomberg reports this.

“I think the idea is very raw, so to speak. Because no one really knows all the details. We really need to cooperate with other European countries, because now the threats from drones are reaching not only the Baltic states, but also Copenhagen and other European countries,” Siliņa told the publication on October 9.

The Baltic leader spoke against the backdrop of russia’s escalating hybrid warfare, which has been accompanied by a series of violations of NATO member states’ airspace. Last month, russian drones were shot down after they flew into Poland in what officials in Warsaw called a deliberate provocation. Later, russian planes crossed Estonian airspace, and airports in Denmark and Germany were closed due to drones suspected to be controlled by russia.

Siliņa said she sees every indication that drone incursions will remain a risk for the foreseeable future.

“Drones are much cheaper now. Russia is able to produce or even buy them from other partner countries,” she said, emphasizing that moscow can now produce drones much faster.

Siliņa said the EU must be prepared to deter hybrid attacks “on our European soil,” which she emphasized are likely to increase as russia wages war against Ukraine.

The EU’s proposal to build a “wall of drones,” part of a recent proposal to bolster the bloc’s military capabilities, was received critically at the EU summit in Copenhagen last week.

Italy and Spain argued that the European Commission’s defense plans should protect the entire continent, not just strengthen the bloc’s eastern flank. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that drones would still enter Europe, regardless of the continent’s countermeasures.

“It won’t be a brick wall – we’re talking about opportunities. No one can guarantee that 100% of drones will be stopped. Ukrainians can show about 70-80% efficiency. This would be very good for us,” EU Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at a press conference in Riga earlier on Thursday.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in September, a fragment of a Gerbera drone was discovered in western Latvia, which is actively used by the army of the aggressor country russia in the war against Ukraine.

(C) 2025 Ukrainian News Agency