As Russian drones and missiles increasingly test the boundaries of European airspace, NATO finds itself at a crossroads—one that demands both sharper rules of engagement and deeper international cooperation to counter a rapidly evolving threat. On October 15, 2025, defense ministers from across the alliance converged in Brussels, seeking to hammer out unified protocols that could make it easier to shoot down Russian aircraft carrying missiles over allied territory. The meeting, as reported by The Telegraph, marked a pivotal moment in NATO’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its deterrence and defense posture, especially in the wake of a series of alarming incidents involving Russian military aircraft and swarms of drones.
"The weaponry and trajectory of any aircraft would be the determining factors for perceived threat," a source briefed on the discussions told The Telegraph. Currently, member states operate under a patchwork of engagement rules: while Italy and Spain require pilots to visually confirm a threat before taking action, others allow engagement based on radar data alone. This inconsistency has led to confusion and hesitation during recent airspace violations, such as the September 2025 incident when three Russian MiG fighter jets crossed into Estonian airspace. Italian F-35s were scrambled to intercept, and NATO intelligence later determined the Russian jets were armed with air-to-air missiles but posed no direct threat.
These incidents are far from isolated. In September, nineteen Russian drones were either downed or crashed in Poland, raising the stakes for both military and civilian airspace security. Polish authorities, according to The Sun, also discovered evidence suggesting Russia had been preparing for cross-border drone strikes for months, even testing connectivity with Polish mobile networks by inserting Polish SIM cards into drones. The threat is not limited to Poland: rogue drones have been spotted in Denmark, Norway, France, and Germany, sparking widespread security concerns among NATO members.
Amid these developments, NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized the urgency of the moment. "These discussions will further strengthen our deterrence and defense posture, including in light of recent incidents," he said, highlighting the need for a more streamlined and unified response to provocations from Moscow. US General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, echoed this sentiment, advocating for a "unified, single air and missile defense system" that would eliminate national caveats—restrictions that currently prevent a single commander from authorizing force under shared NATO missions.
"Trying to create a more unified, single, integrated air and missile defense system makes sense," a senior NATO diplomat told The Telegraph. "We all have to look sharply and critically at whether those caveats still make sense." The alliance is also considering merging its three eastern air-defense missions—Eastern Sentry, Baltic Sentry, and the Ukraine support mission based in Poland—to grant greater operational flexibility. Estonia and other Baltic nations are pushing to elevate air-policing to full air-defense status, a move that would require closing civilian airspace and automatically engaging any unauthorized Russian aircraft in wartime. More cautious members, however, argue that such measures should be reserved for times of open conflict.
The urgency of these talks was underscored in the UK Parliament, where a downed Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone—captured in Ukraine—was unveiled on October 15. British MPs and officials issued a stark warning: Britain must be ready for Russia to swarm its skies with deadly Iranian kamikaze drones. MP Tom Tugendhat, a senior advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran and former Minister of State for Security, told The Sun, "That’s exactly what we were preparing for and I’m sure that the current government are continuing to prepare for. The reality is these weapon systems are not just targeting Ukraine, they’re not just targeting Poland. They’re being built to intimidate us."
The Shahed-136, with a maximum speed of 180 km/h and a range of up to 2,500 km, explodes on impact and has become Russia’s weapon of choice against Ukraine. Since the start of 2025, Moscow has fired more than 38,000 Shahed drones, causing devastation across both military and civilian targets. With a price tag of up to £38,000 each—vastly cheaper than a 9M728 Iskander K cruise missile—these drones can be produced and deployed in massive numbers, overwhelming even sophisticated air-defense systems. The drone’s low cost and mass production have led some to compare it to the World War II-era Nazi V-1 flying bomb, or "Doodlebug."
Iran initially supplied around 6,000 Shahed drones to Russia before launching a technology transfer program that enabled Moscow to ramp up domestic production. Iranian officials have not shied away from openly threatening Europe. In July 2025, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, a principal spokesman for the Ayatollah of Iran, warned, "Europeans can no longer move about comfortably in their own countries. It’s entirely possible that in the near future, five drones could strike a European city." Such rhetoric, paired with repeated menacing threats from Russia, has put European defense planners on high alert.
The scale and sophistication of Russia’s drone campaign have also exposed cracks in Europe’s defenses. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, speaking to The Sun, said, "In the operation in the Polish skies, some of the Russian drones were detected and shot down by F-35s. It is not the most economical way of dealing with such a threat. And if they did to us what they’re doing every week to Ukraine and launched hundreds of these things, we would be pretty soon out of sight of them." Sikorski emphasized the need for cheaper, more effective ways of protecting European skies, adding, "Ukraine is providing us invaluable experience. We need their experience and that technology in dealing with this stuff."
Meanwhile, NATO’s efforts have been bolstered by international partners. Australia, for example, sent its most sophisticated spy plane, the E-7A Wedgetail, to patrol the skies above Poland. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the aircraft completed 45 missions during periods of high alert, integrating seamlessly with NATO’s command and monitoring systems. "It’s been fantastic to integrate into the NATO system, and we’ve been able to do that technically and seamlessly," said Wing Commander Samuel Thorpe. NATO Secretary-General Rutte praised Australia’s contribution, stating, "This practical co-operation is really crucial, and I highly value that relationship with your proud nation."
Yet, even as NATO and its partners ramp up their response, Ukrainian authorities are sounding the alarm over another troubling trend: the increasing presence of foreign components in Russian drones. Vladyslav Vlasiuk, special envoy on sanctions for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told reporters in Kyiv that the European Union’s sanctions regime is "showing cracks" because enforcement is handled by individual member states rather than collectively. "We would like the European Union to step up exports control for European companies," Vlasiuk said, as Russia scales up military drone production and large-scale aerial attacks.
As the threat of Russian drones and missiles grows, the debate within NATO—and across Europe—has moved from the theoretical to the urgent and practical. Will new unified engagement rules and international partnerships be enough to keep European skies safe? For now, alliance leaders are betting that sharper coordination, technological integration, and lessons learned from Ukraine will help turn the tide. But with Moscow’s drone campaign showing no signs of slowing, and with Iran and other backers in the mix, the challenge is only growing more complex by the day.
For NATO and its allies, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The next incursion may not be a test—it could be the real thing.