15 Drones Detected Over Belgian Base, Prompting Urgent Investigation

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - An urgent investigation is underway by the Belgian Ministry of Defence after a swarm of 15 unidentified drones was detected flying over the Elsenborn military domain in the country's East Cantons, an incident that has sent a fresh tremor of anxiety through a European continent already on high alert over a mysterious and escalating pattern of aerial incursions. According to reports from the Belgian public broadcaster VRT NWS, the drones were observed in the early hours of the morning, flying at different altitudes on both the Belgian and German sides of the border.

While Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken stated there are "no concrete indications" of Russian involvement at this time, he explicitly framed the incident within the context of a "hybrid threat" designed to "sow unrest," a tactic he noted has been a Russian hallmark for many years. The bizarre and provocative incursion over Belgium is the latest in a string of similar events across Europe, from airport shutdowns in Germany to brazen violations of NATO airspace in Poland and Estonia, fueling fears that a new, insidious front has been opened in the continent's tense standoff with Moscow.

The incident in Elsenborn was reportedly discovered by a combination of chance and cross-border cooperation. "Around 1:45 AM tonight, the local police of the German city of Düren observed 15 drones," defense expert Jens Franssen told VRT NWS.

"They came from over our military domain of Elsenborn and flew into German airspace." According to sources cited by the broadcaster, Germany reported the sighting to the Belgian Ministry of Defence, but the information was reportedly not immediately pushed up through the chain of command.

Concurrently, a Belgian test device specifically designed for observing drones, which was fortuitously in place, detected the same swarm of 15 unmanned aerial vehicles. Minister Francken confirmed the details, stating, "Drones were observed on both the Belgian and the German side of the domain. It involves multiple drones at different altitudes."

An immediate and pressing investigation was launched to determine the origin, operator, and purpose of the drones. "We are investigating what they were doing there. They were not supposed to be there," Minister Francken affirmed, highlighting the seriousness of the breach.

However, the incident also raised questions about the strategic logic behind the target. Defence expert Jens Franssen described the choice of Elsenborn as "a very bizarre incident," noting that there is not much of significant strategic value to "spy" on at that particular base.

"The air force base of Kleine-Brogel, where American nuclear weapons are stored, would be a more obvious target then," Franssen commented. He concluded that as long as the origin and control of the drones remain unclear, it is difficult to assess the motive, but the event starkly reveals the urgent "need for good systems that can detect, trace, and identify these kinds of small drones."

Francken echoed this concern about Europe's defensive vulnerabilities. "There have been many drone incidents around critical infrastructure in recent weeks," he said, explicitly referencing similar events in Germany and Denmark.

"So we need additional detection systems. It cannot be that it depends on a local policeman for us to track them down." When pressed on whether he believed Russia was behind the incursion, the minister remained cautious but acknowledged the possibility within a broader strategic context.

"It's possible, but there are no concrete indications for that at the moment," he said. "That needs to be investigated. Personally, I think that these drones are very often an example of a hybrid threat. This is a way to sow unrest. That has been Russia's pattern for many years."

The incident in Belgium does not exist in a vacuum. It is the latest data point in a deeply troubling trend that has unfolded across the continent, putting both civilian infrastructure and military alliances to the test.

Just this week, Denmark announced a nationwide ban on all civilian drone flights as it prepared to host a high-level European Union summit in Copenhagen. The drastic measure came after a string of unidentified drone flights since late September, including incursions over airports and military installations that forced temporary closures.

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard described the incidents as a potential "hybrid attack" aimed at creating fear, stating, "We are not ruling out anything at this time in terms of who is behind it," though speculation about Russian involvement has been rampant. This situation in Denmark, another NATO member, aligns perfectly with Minister Francken's assessment of a strategy designed to sow fear and disruption.

The potential for widespread disruption was vividly demonstrated just hours before the Elsenborn incident when Munich Airport, one of Germany's busiest transport hubs, was forced to shut down operations late Thursday night after its own series of drone sightings.

The suspension lasted for several hours, leading to the cancellation of 17 departures, the diversion of 15 inbound flights, and travel chaos for nearly 3,000 passengers. As previously reported by Kurdistan24, the disruption in Munich highlighted the extreme vulnerability of critical civilian infrastructure to small, difficult-to-detect drones, a threat that German security experts have repeatedly warned about.

While the incidents in Belgium, Denmark, and Germany have been characterized by ambiguity, a far more direct and alarming pattern of aggression has been playing out on NATO's eastern flank.

In recent weeks, Russia has been accused of multiple, brazen violations of the sovereign airspace of NATO member states. In a dramatic escalation on September 10, at least 19 Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace over a seven-hour period, with some traveling hundreds of kilometers inside the country.

The incursion, which European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas branded a "game changer," prompted Poland to consult with its allies under Article 4 of the NATO treaty. "What Putin wants to do is to test us—really how far he can go," Kallas warned. "What happened in Poland is clearly a message to test our unity."

Dutch F-35 fighter jets were scrambled to help Poland intercept the drones in the first instance of the alliance engaging such threats in its airspace.

Just ten days later, on September 20, tensions flared again when three Russian fighter jets violated the airspace of Estonia for a full twelve minutes in what the Estonian government condemned as an "unprecedentedly brazen" and "dangerous provocation." The incident, which Russia denied, prompted neighboring Poland to scramble its own military aircraft as a precautionary measure. These direct military incursions by a nuclear-armed state into the territory of the world's most powerful military alliance represent a significant escalation beyond the deniable, hybrid tactics seen elsewhere.

This pattern of aerial provocation is occurring against a backdrop of massive military posturing. Russia and Belarus are currently conducting their "Zapad 2025" joint military exercises, which Warsaw has branded as explicitly "offensive."

In response to the drills and the recent drone incursion, Poland has begun deploying approximately 40,000 soldiers to its eastern borders, transforming the frontier into a heavily militarized zone.

The Zapad exercises, the first to be held since Russia stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, have long been a source of anxiety for NATO's eastern members, who fear they could be a rehearsal for an attack on the strategically vital Suwałki Gap.

The confluence of these events—from mysterious drones over a Belgian base and a Danish capital to confirmed Russian military incursions into Polish and Estonian airspace, all set against the backdrop of large-scale war games—paints a picture of a continent grappling with a multi-faceted and rapidly evolving security threat.

The EU summit in Copenhagen, where leaders are discussing plans to use frozen Russian assets to arm Ukraine and to build up Europe's own defense capabilities, is now taking place under the very real shadow of this threat.

While the investigation into the 15 drones over Elsenborn continues, the incident has already served its purpose as a stark and unsettling reminder that in the new era of hybrid warfare, no part of Europe is immune from the forces of instability, and that the front lines of this conflict can appear anywhere, at any time, in the skies above.