Emerging drone threats to critical infrastructure in Belgium. At the same time, energy operator Engie reported that between three and five drones flew over the Doer nuclear power plant near the port of Antwerp on Sunday night. According to the Belgian News Agency, the Belgian National Crisis Center confirmed the incident.
The incident further tightens the closure of Belgium’s airports, which has been repeated for several days last week. According to some local media, Liège Airport suspended flights for two hours this Sunday after drones were sighted in the area. Alarms were also raised last week after several of these small unmanned aircraft entered the vicinity of a military base.
According to local media, there is still no clear evidence about the origins of these attacks, but Belgian Defense Minister Theo Franken said “Russia is clearly the prime suspect” in the drone incidents on Belgian territory after Belgian intelligence suggested the drones were being operated by “foreign forces.”
As reported by Reuters, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius suggested last Friday that repeated drone incidents in Belgium in recent days were “probably related to the dispute over the use of frozen Russian assets held by Belgium.”
Last month, EU leaders were unable to push ahead with a 140 billion euro loan to Ukraine’s war funds backed by frozen Russian assets held in a Brussels financial institution due to Belgium’s veto.
According to De Standaard newspaper, the Belgian Federal Police has introduced a system to detect and neutralize hostile drones. Police have assigned 30 officers to the task and have installed detection antennas near major airports and other infrastructure.
Britain, France and Germany are sending equipment and personnel to help counter drone incursions in Belgium.
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