A new drone threat to critical infrastructure in Belgium. On this occasion, Engie Energy reported that between three and five drones flew over the Doyle nuclear station, near the port of Antwerp, on Sunday evening. The Belgian National Crisis Center confirmed the incident, according to the Belgian News Agency.
This incident is in addition to the airport closures in Belgium that occurred repeatedly for several days last week. According to some local media, Liège Airport suspended its flights for two hours on Sunday after seeing drones in its vicinity. Last week, sirens also sounded after several of these small drones incursions around military bases.
Although there is no clear evidence yet about the source of these attacks, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that “Russia is a clear potential suspect” in drone incidents on Belgian territory, after Belgian intelligence services suggested that the drones were operated by a “foreign power,” according to local media.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested last Friday that repeated drone incidents in Belgium in recent days “may have been linked to the fight over the use of frozen Russian assets held by Belgium,” as Reuters reported.
Last month, EU leaders failed to provide a €140 billion loan to finance the war in Ukraine, backed by frozen Russian assets held in a financial institution in Brussels due to a Belgian veto.
The Belgian Federal Police has equipped itself with a system to detect and neutralize hostile drones, according to De Standaard. The police have allocated 30 officers to this task, and they are installing detection antennas near major airports and other infrastructure.
The UK, France and Germany have sent equipment and personnel to help Belgium counter drone strikes.
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