Czech President Petr Pavel says NATO may need to shoot down deliberate Russian airspace violators

Czech President Petr Pavel has warned that NATO may eventually need to shoot down Russian aircraft or drones that deliberately violate the alliance’s airspace. Speaking to Fox News Digital in New York during the U.N. General Assembly, Pavel said Russia was testing NATO’s readiness and could interpret continued restraint as a sign of weakness. “There might be the time when we will have to shoot down some of these planes or unmanned vehicles that are testing our readiness,” Pavel said. Pavel said the alliance needs to distinguish between accidental airspace violations and deliberate incursions in which an aircraft ignores warnings to leave. “If it is deliberate and the violator doesn’t respond to our measures, then we will have to act, because otherwise Russia simply would push further on,” he said. His comments came after a series of incidents involving Russian aircraft and drones near NATO territory. On Wednesday, a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace after crossing from the Kaliningrad region. According to Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command, the helicopter travelled around 300 metres into Polish territory and remained there for 42 seconds. On Thursday, Romania also scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after an unidentified aerial target entered... The post Czech President Warns NATO Allies May Need to Shoot Down Russian Aircraft appeared first on Prague Morning.

Czech President Petr Pavel warned NATO may need to shoot down Russian aircraft or drones deliberately violating allied airspace to avoid weakness.