Russia links Kiev to fake drone attacks aimed at sparking war with EU
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Russia warned that Ukraine and its Western allies are fabricating drone incidents to incite a continent-wide confrontation, as divisions within NATO deepen over how to respond to alleged Russian airspace violations.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023 (AP)
Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of attempting to provoke a continental conflict by fabricating incidents involving alleged Russian drones over European airspace.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that Kiev was preparing false evidence to portray Moscow as an aggressor. "They will take elements of Russian drones, outfit them with additional equipment and present everything as an alleged attack by our country on the territory of the European Union. In other words, everything is being done to start a full-blown, large-scale, multilateral massacre on the European continent," Zakharova told Izvestia.
She suggested that such provocations could originate from the Yavorivskyi training ground in western Ukraine's Lviv region, a site long used for NATO-linked exercises.
Drone Provocations
The statement followed claims by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier this month that drones identified as Russian were shot down over eastern Poland. Tusk provided no evidence, but his remarks added to a string of reports of unidentified drones near European airports and military zones, incidents that temporarily grounded flights and fueled accusations of Russian involvement.
The Kremlin rejected the allegations outright, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling them unfounded and asserting that Russia conducts its activities in line with international law.
Meanwhile, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said similar drone sightings near Copenhagen Airport were part of a coordinated ploy to provoke a military confrontation between NATO members and Russia, warning that the narrative was being deliberately manipulated to escalate tensions.
Broader NATO Rift
The controversy over alleged Russian drone incursions comes amid growing discord within NATO itself. Earlier this month, CNN reported that the alliance was deeply divided over how to respond to supposed Russian airspace violations, with Eastern European members like Poland and Estonia pushing for a military posture, while Germany and southern states urged caution. The final communiqué issued by the North Atlantic Council avoided any direct threats, reflecting internal paralysis.
Even Washington added confusion: while President Donald Trump called on allies to "shoot down Russian aircraft if they are detected," Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that NATO's standing policy is interception, not engagement, a contradiction that underscored what Moscow has described as the alliance's incoherence.
Analysts say such internal fractures weaken NATO's credibility, making it easier for false-flag operations or unverified incidents to be used as pretexts for escalation. Moscow, for its part, has accused the West of orchestrating hysteria to justify its own militarization along Russia's borders.
Read more: NATO discord deepens as allies bicker over Russian airspace breaches
