European countries are not sufficiently prepared to counteract drone attacks launched by Russia and cannot clearly attribute these attacks at present, according to a study conducted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), based in London, published on Sunday, August 9.
The IISS study, in which the Hanns Seidel Foundation from Germany participated, found that European states could not clearly attribute drone attacks to Russia, such as those on airports or sensitive military installations.
The study analyzed 144 incidents that occurred between August 2024 and February 2026 in 12 NATO member states and Ireland, reports Agerpres.
“This report estimates that it is highly likely that the Kremlin has conducted a campaign targeting Europe using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)”, the study shows.
\”Our main conclusion is that the current architecture of Europe for countering drone attacks does not yet meet the threat, despite the fact that NATO, the European Union, and national governments are paying more attention to this issue: detection is uneven, legal authorities are divided, response options are often disproportionate, and attribution remains too slow to support deterrence in time\”, the study states.
The study asserts that attributing attacks remains a key challenge for European governments.
“One reason suggested by European officials as part of our research is that the relevant governments have focused on the national response rather than making a connection between incidents across Europe”, the study states.
“It’s alarming. Europe is not yet sufficiently prepared for this form of hybrid threat,” declared Klaus Holetschek, the president of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.