On November 10, 2025, at least three drones were reportedly observed over the Doel nuclear power plant near Antwerp in northern Belgium. This event is part of a series of mysterious drone sightings across Europe targeting airports and military sites, leading to repeated airport closures and grounding of flights, particularly in Belgium and Germany. Belgian authorities remain on high alert, scrambling to increase defenses against these incursions. The Belgian government received assistance from Britain, which sent military experts and equipment to detect and defend against the drone threat. German authorities have similarly developed rapid-response teams due to similar drone disruptions at Munich airport. Some European officials, including Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius, have directly blamed Russia, suggesting these drone activities are intimidation tactics linked to political disputes over frozen Russian assets held in Belgium. Russia denies any involvement. NATO has stepped up aerial surveillance with Operation Eastern Sentry over Poland to monitor Russian drone airspace violations, though detecting small drones remains challenging. The European Union is working toward deploying a “drone wall” defense system for critical infrastructure by 2027. The widespread and unprecedented frequency of drone sightings across countries supporting Ukraine underscores evolving hybrid threat tactics. Authorities face operational challenges in safely intercepting drones near populated or sensitive areas. This incident represents a concrete hybrid warfare act with clear hostile drone incursions, defensive military responses, and geopolitical context involving Russia and European nations.
Category: Military & Paramilitary Operations
Subcategory: Conventional Military Pressure
Incident Type: Airspace violations
Country: Belgium
Source report: www.cbc.ca/news/worl…
