Chair of the Defense Committee of the German Parliament, Thomas Röwekamp, stated that NATO should’ve shot down Russian drones over Ukraine.
He made the remarks in an interview with Spiegel, as reported by European Pravda.
Röwekamp believes that the Alliance must act more decisively against Russia’s large-scale attacks and should also step up its support for Kyiv with weapons capable of striking Russian targets – including facilities such as drone manufacturing plants.
“We are still facing very serious challenges in the field of air defense, especially in countering mass drone attacks,” Röwekamp said.
He emphasizes that military capabilities in this area must be expanded and that Germany’s contribution should also be increased.
According to the politician, “the best way to combat drones during a war is to destroy their production facilities and launch sites.”
He also emphasized the importance of “NATO partners quickly equipping Ukraine so that it, too, can take action against these targets on Russian soil.”
Röwekamp believes that coordination within the Alliance is necessary to determine when and over whose territory to respond to drone attacks:
“There must be a possibility, with the consent of the affected country – such as Ukraine – to neutralize drones that pose a threat to NATO territory, even within their own airspace,” he said.
During a Russian attack on Ukraine overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian drones violated Polish airspace.
In particular, five Geran drones were headed toward a NATO logistics hub that supplies military aid to Ukraine.
Whether the base was the direct target of the attack remains unclear, but none of the drones reached it.
Sania Kozatskyi, Militarnyi
