Night after night, Belgium is on high alert.

Published: 12 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Over the past two weeks, the nation’s civilian airports, military installations, and even nuclear plants have found themselves at the centre of escalating security concerns, plagued by a series of drone sightings that have sparked widespread fear and confusion. What initially appeared to be isolated incidents now seems to form part of a disturbing pattern — one that intelligence officials increasingly believe is tied to Moscow’s growing campaign of hybrid warfare against Europe.

On Sunday, Belgian authorities confirmed that five drones had been detected flying over the Doel nuclear power plant. Just hours earlier, similar unidentified aerial vehicles had been sighted roughly 100 miles south, above Liege Airport — a crucial logistics hub where air traffic had to be temporarily suspended to ensure safety.

“Initially, we detected three drones, but then we saw five. They were in the air for about an hour,” said a spokesman for Engie, the company operating the nuclear facility. Officials stressed that there was no immediate safety risk, noting that the plant’s structure is robust enough to withstand a collision from a Boeing 737 jet.

Even so, the implications were alarming. Britain’s Royal Air Force, along with French and German counter-drone units, has been deployed to assist Belgium in securing its airspace. The focus of the operation includes Kleine Brogel, a military base that houses Belgium’s air force and its recently acquired fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

Experts say the growing wave of incursions is no coincidence. Intelligence specialists and security analysts increasingly point toward Russia as the likely orchestrator behind these sophisticated and well-timed operations.

Justin Crump, chief executive of the intelligence consultancy Sibylline, remarked that “the spate and timing of recent incidents across Europe suggest Russia as the most likely threat actor.” He added that the level of coordination seen in these operations — designed to create maximum disruption with minimal risk — indicates a deliberate and strategic campaign.

“These efforts are almost certainly linked to developments in the war in Ukraine,” Crump said. “This has been a gradual pattern across Europe for years, but it appears now to be increasing in both scope and sophistication.”

The timing of these incidents is particularly notable. Belgium is currently weighing whether to back the European Union’s proposed transfer of €140 billion (£123 billion) in frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s military defence. European officials believe the drone activity may be part of Moscow’s pressure tactics, aimed at intimidating Brussels and other key EU capitals into reconsidering their support for Kyiv.

Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defence minister, said on Friday: “We all see this connection — the Belgians too. This is a measure aimed at spreading insecurity, at fear-mongering in Belgium. ‘Don’t you dare touch the frozen assets.’ It cannot be interpreted any other way.”

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken also acknowledged the likelihood of Russian involvement, saying on Saturday: “Russia is clearly a plausible suspect.”

But Belgium is far from alone in facing these provocations. Across Europe, a similar pattern has emerged. In Germany, Munich Airport was forced to shut down operations twice in 24 hours after drones were spotted overhead, disrupting travel for some 6,500 passengers. Nearby, the Erding military base also reported suspicious aerial activity.

On October 8, the Geilenkirchen Air Base — which hosts several NATO surveillance aircraft — experienced drone interference. Just weeks later, Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport halted flights for two hours on November 1 after radar detected an unidentified flying object. Two days after that, Bremen Airport briefly suspended all operations following another drone sighting.

Although direct evidence linking the incidents to Russia remains elusive, NATO officials suspect Moscow is relying on criminal proxy networks scattered across Europe to execute the missions, providing it with deniability while maintaining a steady campaign of intimidation.

Security experts have described the situation as a “testing phase” for a broader strategy of destabilisation — a new front in hybrid warfare that combines espionage, disinformation, and technological sabotage.

The incidents have reignited debate within NATO and the EU over Europe’s readiness to counter this evolving threat. Many now argue that the continent’s defences against drone warfare and cyberattacks must be urgently strengthened.

A senior EU security official, speaking anonymously, told The English Chronicle: “These incursions are not random. They are a message — a warning shot from Moscow that Europe’s infrastructure and its sense of security can be disrupted without a single missile being launched. It’s psychological warfare, plain and simple.”

The growing consensus in Brussels and across European capitals is clear: Russia’s drone war is no longer confined to Ukraine’s battlefields. It has reached the heart of Europe, threatening its skies, its stability, and its resolve.