Six NATO nations agree on ‘drone wall’ to fortify borders against Russia
Six NATO countries neighbouring Russia have reached an agreement to establish a “drone wall” aimed at protecting their borders, Lithuania’s Interior Minister, Agnė Bilotaitė, announced following a meeting with her counterparts from the other two Baltic states – Latvia and Estonia – as well as Poland, Finland, and Norway , reports LRT.
The decision to utilise unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for border protection has been prompted by security concerns in the region amidst Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“This is a completely new initiative – a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland – and the aim is to utilise drones and other technologies to guard our borders from provocations by unfriendly states and to prevent smuggling,” Bilotaitė stated.
To construct this “drone wall,” the nations plan to employ UAVs for monitoring their border territories as well as anti-drone systems to halt the use of drones from hostile countries for smuggling and provocations.
According to Bilotaitė, Lithuania already intends to strengthen its border security using drones. The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service has recently established a UAV unit and is currently acquiring additional drones and anti-drone systems, she emphasised.
The next step for the countries involved is to assess their “homework” and then, with expert assistance, national authorities will draft a plan for implementing the “drone wall.”
When asked about the timeline for realisation, Bilotaitė was unable to provide specifics but noted that the “drone wall” could potentially be funded by the EU.