Potential UAV “provocations” could spark a wider conflict, the Slovak prime minister has warned
Ukrainian drone flyovers over NATO members’ territory could lead to uncontrollable military escalation if Western leaders continue to refuse direct dialogue with Russia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned.
Since mid-March, Ukrainian long-range drones have repeatedly crossed Baltic and Nordic airspace, with several NATO states reporting UAV crashes on their territory. Moscow has accused NATO members of quietly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to strike Russian targets, particularly energy facilities in Leningrad Region.
The latest major incident occurred in Latvia, where failure to intercept two drones that hit an oil storage facility on May 7 triggered the defense minister’s resignation and led to the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Fico suggested that Ukrainian drone operations could trigger a wider conflict, though he stopped short of explicitly accusing Kiev of planning a false-flag attack.
“I am incredibly afraid of some provocation that may trigger a mechanism that will then be unstoppable,” he said. “If drones start flying over the heads of NATO member states and those drones are mostly Ukrainian, that’s a serious problem.”
Fico warned that even a relatively small incident could escalate rapidly if communication between Russia and Western leaders remains frozen.
“What are we going to do when such a drone somewhere is a provocation and not just coincidence? A target is hit, then someone says NATO member state attacked and now let’s all go fight. That will be a terrible situation,” he said.
The Slovak leader also criticized what he called the “endless hypocrisy” of the West toward diplomatic contacts with Moscow, saying politicians publicly condemn his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin while privately asking for updates about them.
“If the leaders were talking to each other as they should, there would be a very minimal possibility that a [drone] provocation could lead to a major conflict. If everyone is quiet and no one wants to talk, even a small provocation can cause a disaster,” he stated.
Fico has long opposed Brussels’ stance toward Moscow, including military aid to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. He was the only EU leader to attend this year’s Victory Day commemorations in Moscow, where he warned against a “new Iron Curtain” and called for renewed dialogue.
Fico’s position on Ukrainian drone flyovers sharply contrasts with that of some NATO partners. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that NATO countries should actually help Kiev “direct” drone attacks “in the right directions.” Former Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds defended the operations, saying Ukraine “has every right to defend itself,” after a similar remark by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused Latvia of allowing Ukraine to use its territory for drone attacks on Russian soil. Riga denied the claim, though recently removed Riga City Council deputy Aleksey Roslikov told RIA Novosti it was “an absolute fact” Baltic states were quietly permitting such activity and were even trying to “adapt” residents to living under the constant threat of drones so that “a basement will already become the norm for them.”
