Suspicious drones are stalking NATO skies with impunity

Concerns about a direct Russian attack on NATO have been mounting since August 4th, when a drone with explosives was discovered at Leipzig Airport in Germany. On Monday, NATO's top commander spelled out the cost if Russia strikes. If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight. But Europe is already contending with a growing menace, the ambiguous drones stalking NATO's skies with impunity. CBC News has learned German authorities, for instance, have clocked more than 1,000 suspicious drone-related incidents since January last year. That means an average of more than one every single day. Sightings over critical infrastructure, military facilities and defence companies. Drone sightings are on the rise in Europe, at ports like this one here in Belgium, at nuclear power plants, even at major airports. It's a real war, but we don't see nobody. In one 18-month snapshot, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported 144 suspicious drones over sensitive sites in a dozen NATO countries. Highly likely Russian. Russia rejects such accusations. But added together, the pattern points to a campaign to sow fear. The uncertainty is the point, say analysts. This is indeed the reason why hybrid attacks are so clever in a way and work so well and are so difficult to kind of deal with in, you know, open democratic societies. That's why Leipzig was such a turning point. A drone in hand is hard evidence, a German investigation concluded, that Russia was behind it. It tells us that Russia is definitely targeting countries and companies that are supporting Ukraine. to get into our minds and make us believe that the cost of supporting Ukraine is too high. Such threats, European leaders acknowledge, are already the new normal. Nala Ayed, CBC News, Brussels.