6 NATO Countries Plan 'Drone Wall' to Counter Russia

Six members of NATO reportedly are planning to construct a "drone wall" to prevent provocation and smuggling by Russia, the Financial Times reported.

Ministers from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Poland joined over the weekend for talks about a joint operation to block Russian aggression and smuggling efforts. The Times noted that each of the countries has faced "hybrid attacks" by Russia, such as the alleged smuggling of war criminals and soldiers across the border into Finland and other European countries.

"This is a completely new thing — a drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland, and the goal is to use drones and other technologies to protect our borders," Lithuania's interior minister Agnė Bilotaitė told Baltic News Service.

"Drone surveillance and anti-drone capability is crucial both for deterrence and for countering the influence activities of our eastern neighbor," added Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets. "The one who is even a step ahead of the adversary will succeed, but this advantage can be measured in days, as a countermeasure will be found to each measure very quickly, and the cycle will repeat itself."

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