The mechanism of inactivity: NATO pushes Russia away from investigating drone incidents

The North Atlantic Alliance has not approached Russia with proposals to jointly investigate the drone crash, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia. He also said that the unit does not use emergency communication channels through the Russian embassy in Belgium. Germany blamed Russia for the drone found at Leipzig airport. In May, Romania blamed Moscow for the downing of a drone in the city of Galac. Experts believe that the countries of the bloc refuse to conduct a joint investigation with Moscow because of the risks of detecting a Ukrainian trace.

Communication channels of the Russian Federation and NATO

Berlin blamed Russia for the Leipzig drone incident. Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that retaliatory measures had been agreed with the EU and NATO. According to German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, drone components and explosive devices typical of hybrid operations were used in the attempted attack. Recall, on August 4, a drone with explosives was found at the airport of the city. An air company employee noticed him next to a Ukrainian transport plane. The Russian Embassy in Germany called the incident a hastily concocted provocation. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would respond to Germany's anti-Russian decisions.

Photo: Global Look Press/Hendrik Schmidt

This is not the first time that the countries of the bloc have refused to investigate dangerous incidents. Last year, after the downing of 19 drones in Poland, Moscow offered Warsaw to hold consultations between the military and diplomats. But the Polish authorities ignored it. In May, an unidentified drone hit an apartment building in the city of Galac. Bucharest blamed Russia and requested help from NATO. Vladimir Putin said at the time that Russia was ready to conduct an investigation if objective data was provided to it. Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev, who was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, was shown pieces of styrofoam as evidence of the drones' "Russian origin."

The North Atlantic Alliance did not offer Moscow to jointly investigate the drone incidents, Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Department of European Problems at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.

— As usual, Russia was blamed for the incident on the spot — unfounded, without any evidence. There have also never been any proposals to jointly sort out the situation. At the same time, the absence of appeals on such incidents from the alliance actually indirectly confirms, let's say, the "difficulties" with the ability of member countries to substantiate their accusations against us," the diplomat stressed.

Police officers at the scene near the northern runway of Leipzig Airport, where the drone crashed.

Photo: Global Look Press/Sebastian Willnow

The Alliance severed all practical civil and military cooperation with the Russian Federation back in 2014. In 2022, at the initiative of NATO, the political dialogue was completely stopped.

— Emergency communication channels, including through the Russian Embassy in Belgium, remain in place. They are well known to the North Atlantic bloc. At the same time, they are not used by NATO," Vladislav Maslennikov said.

Natalia Eremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, told Izvestia that NATO's refusal to conduct a joint investigation with Russia was caused by fear of revealing Ukraine's role. It will become clear that the incidents are related to Kiev's actions, and the West does not want to hold it responsible.

Drone Project: Who is behind the drone incident in Poland

And why are the positions of NATO and the EU regarding what happened different?

The strengthening of the bloc in Eastern Europe

Drone crashes in Romania, Poland and Germany are used to justify increased military spending. For example, if Bucharest spent 2.2% of GDP on military needs in 2025, then 2.5% has already been budgeted for 2026, with almost 40% of this amount allocated for the purchase of weapons. Germany's defense budget is planned to increase by €27 billion next year, Friedrich Merz said.

Photo: Global Look Press/David Young

At the same time, the block is increasing its presence in Eastern Europe. For example, in September 2025, the Vostochny Sentry mission was launched. Its goal is to link radars, anti—aircraft missile systems and aircraft of NATO countries into a single network from the Barents to the Black Sea. The North Atlantic Alliance has deployed nine multinational combat groups in Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Finland and Estonia. NATO air patrol missions are operating in the Baltics and the Balkans. A reinforced Spanish group has been stationed in Romania since August 1, which includes three NH-90 helicopters designed to combat drones at low altitude.

The bloc will continue to gradually strengthen its groups in the region, Natalia Eremina believes. In her opinion, it is possible to increase personnel and increase the means of combating drones. The main donor will be Germany, which has already announced plans to increase the number of the Bundeswehr to 460,000. At the same time, a radical buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe should not be expected due to the lack of consensus, according to political analyst Denis Denisov.

Photo: Global Look Press/Kay Nietfeld

The "Russian threat" is used as a justification for militarization in the bloc. However, even among the countries of the alliance, not everyone agrees with this. For example, Acting Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mirutse said in late August that he did not believe Russia was preparing for an alleged attack on NATO. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also said that the allegations of a number of German politicians about Russia's alleged plans to attack the bloc's countries have no evidence. And Russian officials emphasize their absence. Moscow has also repeatedly stated its openness to dialogue with the alliance, provided that the organization abandons its aggressive anti—Russian course and takes into account the interests of the Russian Federation, Vladislav Maslennikov noted.

The lack of NATO proposals to deal with drone situations indicates the alliance's unwillingness to find out the true cause of such incidents. They provide an opportunity to justify the need for increased military spending. A joint investigation with Russia may reveal Ukraine's guilt, which is definitely not part of Brussels' plans.