By Rostyslav Averchuk
Lviv (EFE).- Ukraine is urging its European partners to extend air-defense systems over its territory following recent Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace, even though Western caution in confronting Russia makes such a move unlikely.
Creating a joint defense against Russia’s aerial attacks would benefit both Ukraine and its foreign partners, according to Kyiv, which has already offered training to Polish specialists to counter Russian Shahed long-range drones.
The answer to Russia’s massive attacks against Ukraine and its provocations against NATO is to create a common European shield and protect the Ukrainian sky jointly from Russian drones and missiles, Lesya Orobets, former deputy and co-founder of the Price of Freedom NGO, told EFE.
“By combining European aviation with Ukraine’s expertise, we have a strong chance to de-escalate the situation,” Orobets said.
A sky shield for Ukraine
Alongside European military analysts, Orobets has co-authored the Sky Shield proposal, which argues that allied aviation (leveraging up to 120 F-16 jets or equivalent aircraft stationed at European airbases) could safeguard western and central Ukraine, including its nuclear power plants.
The aforementioned would allow Ukraine to redirect its strained resources to the frontline, while European partners would not risk direct clashes with Russian aircraft, which don’t operate inside Ukraine.
Ukraine needs such support given that Russian attacks are becoming ever more massive, as Moscow remains unable to achieve a victory on the battlefield and seeks to crush Ukraine’s will and ability to resist instead.
“If we continue to face weekly bombings and drone attacks, the sustainability of our infrastructure, economy, politics, and demographics is at stake,” Orobets warned.
At the same time, she emphasized Ukraine’s growing value as a security partner, especially given Europe’s lagging capabilities in countering drone warfare.
The idea has gained some traction. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski suggested that intercepting Russian drones over Ukraine could protect Polish citizens and is technically feasible, though it would require coordinated European action.
However, Romanian President Nicușor Dan has rejected the proposal, citing the risk of becoming a direct party to the conflict.
The reaction that Putin counts upon is that European countries will become even more scared of Russia, Orobets noted.
She hopes that Romanian and other politicians realize that avoiding a strong reaction will only incite Russia to scale up its aggression against Europe. “Russia has never changed its attitude towards its neighbors just because they sat quietly after its provocations,” she said.
Challenges to implementation
Despite the need for more cooperation, Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko considers the proposal impossible to implement in the near term.
“Extending air-defense coverage over Ukraine would require integrating it into NATO’s structures, which is legally impossible,” he told EFE, noting probable vetoes from countries like Hungary and Slovakia.
Kovalenko underlined that Ukraine needs to strengthen its multi-layered system of countering Russia’s diverse drones and missiles. Yet the very variety of air defenses implies the high risk of friendly fire in the event of joint operations with European partners.
However, he agreed with the need for Europe to learn quickly from Ukraine’s experience in repelling Russian aerial attacks, after the Polish response to the recent incursion exposed gaps in its preparedness.
A call for proactive European action
At the same time, Ukrainian analysts urge Europe to adopt a more assertive stance towards Russia.
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told Ukrinform that Russia must be firmly warned against attacking Ukrainian territories near NATO borders.
Some experts also suggest equipping Ukraine with long-range weapons to disrupt Russian drone production and reduce the scale of attacks.
Political scientist Oleg Saakian proposed that Europe employ cyber operations, sanctions, and trade measures to impose significant economic and technological costs on Russia for its provocations, rendering hybrid aggression unsustainable.
Europe is moving in the right direction, but hardly fast enough, Orobets said, while Ukraine is buying time for Europeans to enhance defenses and de-escalate the conflict through a more decisive action.EFE
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