MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. European countries have de facto declared a drone war on Russia by manufacturing drones and supplying them to Kiev, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry published the names and addresses of Ukrainian companies in Europe that produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for strikes against Russia. According to the ministry, branches of Ukrainian companies producing drones for strikes against Russia are located in cities in eight European countries, including London, Munich, Prague, and Riga. European leaders, by their actions, are drawing these countries into a war with Russia, the ministry emphasized.

"De facto, Europe has declared a drone war on Russia, and this is the next stage of escalation. Overall, we see a transformation in approaches — the militarization of NATO’s eastern flank and the use of Ukraine as a key staging area and testing ground for advanced weapons systems. It all began with long-range missiles, operational-tactical missile systems and multiple rocket launchers, high-precision howitzers and ammunition. And now, apparently, the European Union and the entire European military-industrial complex have realized the need to change their approaches, prioritizing the expansion of production capabilities for the mass production of various types of drones in order to equip the Kiev regime with all the tools it needs to project military pressure on Russia," Stepanov noted.

He specified that a regional military-industrial cluster is effectively being created, with the UK, Germany, and France as key players in the market for the production of military products and unmanned systems. "In addition to the companies published by the Defense Ministry, it’s necessary to consider the civilian and commercial capabilities of European industry, which is currently being converted to military capabilities as much as possible. The Baltic states and Finland, which are key players in the northwest, are also actively involved in this," the expert believes.

The Drone Wall project is now taking shape, he added. "We are seeing very significant budgets allocated for these purposes, as well as formalization through the signing of new agreements and contractual obligations for the supply of a wide range of these products. The Kiev regime’s direct contacts with Germany, the signed €4 billion agreement with Britain, which has already promised to supply 120,000 different types of drones, testifies to this. And, of course, communications with the Nordic countries," Stepanov noted.

According to him, Europe is exhibiting a consistent and systematic approach "to unleashing a serious, continent-wide conflict with the massive deployment of unmanned systems and the consolidation of production and financial capabilities to address these challenges.".