UK military to help protect Belgium after drone incursions

Following a string of suspected Russian drone incursions on its airspace, Britain is giving military assistance to Belgium, according to the new chief of the defence staff. Sir Richard Knighton told Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC that his Belgian counterpart had requested for assistance earlier this week and that support and staff were on the way. After drones were spotted nearby, Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close briefly on Thursday night. They had also been seen in other locations, including a military base. Sir Richard said that it was not known if the incursions were by Russia, but that it had been plausible they had been ordered by Moscow.

Our confidence is in our alliances and our collective determination to defend, deter, and shield our critical infrastructure and airspace as hybrid threats rise,

Defence Secretary John Healey said in a tweet. He told Belgium that the UK would help Belgium by providing our kit and capabilities that was already deployed, as well as Nato allies. After Brussels' request, the German defense ministry announced on Friday that it would assist Belgium with anti-drone steps. The disruption affected nearly 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers, and the carrier said it incurred significant fees from canceling or diverting hundreds of flights. Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, and the Belgian security services have reported that they suspect Russia, but Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken has stated that there are no supporting facts exist.

Drones flying over our military bases were seen as our issue at first,

Francken said earlier this week. "Now it has become a significant threat to civilian infrastructure in several European countries.

More broadly, Sir Richard said that Russia was the most significant threat to Europe right now to Europe.

The unlawful invasion of Ukraine has exposed Russia's war efforts' barbaric nefarious essence,

he told the program. We [The United Kingdom] must improve ourselves, Trump said on UK soil. Sabotageandkillingshad been carried out by Russia on UK territory, and that so-called hybrid wars were carried out.

The shadow defense secretary welcomed the change, saying that there was a heightened threat environment and that a key element of deterring threats was

working with other countries through Nato. However, James Cartlidge criticized the government's decision to increase defense spending, saying that more urgency was required. The government revealed that defense spending would rise to 2. In the upcoming parliament, 5 percent of GDP rose from April 2027, with the aim of reaching 3%. The funding was

more than I've ever known in my career,

Sir Richard said. A number of drone sightings have caused major flight disruptions around Europe in recent months, including in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Despite several government officials' praise of

hybrid war" by Russia, the Kremlin has denied any involvement. According to Pistorious, the new sightings could be related to European Union talks to use frozen Russian funds to help Ukraine in the form of a €140 billion loan. Although there is no official evidence of Russia's involvement, fears have been fuelled by more recent airspace incursions in Eastern Europe, involving fighter jets and larger attack drones. As part of Nato's initiative to improve the eastern flankin's reaction to incursions, the UK has sentRAF Typhoon jets to Poland recently to participate in defense missions.