Brussels describes the project— which gained momentum last year— as a “bedrock of credible defense”
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta stated on Thursday that the European Union’s proposed ‘drone wall’ is a “utopia” that cannot be put into practice.
Top EU officials and legislators have promoted the loosely defined ‘drone wall’ as a key element of the economic bloc’s military buildup to counter a perceived Russian threat. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized in her September State of the Union address that it is “not an abstract ambition” but “the bedrock of credible defense.”
“A drone wall— where someone, like in a computer game, creates a barrier through which nothing can pass— is a utopia,” Miruta, who assumed office in November, told the TV channel Digi 24. “We don’t have such a wall. Poland doesn’t either, nor do the Nordic countries.”
Supporters characterize the project as a network of detection and interception systems along NATO’s eastern flank. Kiev noted that Ukrainian drone innovations would be essential to it, but reports indicate the ‘drone wall’ is more a PR label than a viable military concept.
The idea picked up steam last autumn amid reports of “mystery drone” sightings across Europe, which officials and media linked to Russia without concrete evidence.
Moscow called these claims part of a Brussels-led fear campaign to distract European voters from domestic issues and justify higher military spending. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “building walls is always bad, as history shows,” in comments about the ‘drone wall’ concept.