“It is hard to believe that sending drones over Polish territory was anything but intentional on Russia’s part,” said Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Friday. In his opinion, this may indicate “Russia’s weakness, not a display of its strength.”
“If it was not a deliberate action, then it was utterly reckless and irresponsible in every respect,” stated Stubb, who on Friday met in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the Finnish president, “drone attacks are part of Russian deterrence policy, and Russia at the same time wants to divert attention from the front, where its advances have stalled.”
Stubb: “Russia has once again crossed the line”
“This is no longer just a war in Ukraine. When an attack hits a NATO country, it sends a signal to the entire Alliance. If it is not met with a response, Russia will get the impression that it can test boundaries without consequences,” warned the Finnish president during a conference at the Finnish embassy in Kyiv.
Stubb also assessed that the war in Ukraine, with the use of drones, has revolutionized the nature of armed conflicts, which “can be compared to the rapid development of artificial intelligence in recent years.”
“At the same time, Ukraine has shown that in countering drones (worth only a few thousand euros – editor’s note), cheaper systems are more effective than, for example, missiles costing hundreds of thousands of euros,” Stubb emphasized.
“Last year, Ukraine produced over 1.5 million drones. This year it plans more than 4 million,” underlined the Finnish president.