EU denies ‘drone wall’ funding for member states – media

Estonia and Lithuania had reportedly sought financial support to militarize the bloc’s borders with Russia and Belarus

Lithuania and Estonia have failed to secure EU funding for a planned ‘drone wall’ along their borders with Russia and Belarus, Lithuania’s Interior Ministry has said, according to the news agency BNS. 

The interior ministers of six NATO countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland and Norway – agreed last year to build a unified, militarized “drone wall” along their eastern borders. Although Norway is not an EU member, the ministers had agreed to explore the possibility of securing EU funding for the joint effort.

According to a BNS report on Monday, the border services of Estonia and Lithuania later submitted a joint application for financing.

“However, the project did not receive financing,” Lithuania’s Interior Ministry was quoted as saying, adding that Estonia was the lead applicant, with Lithuania acting as a partner.

In May 2024, Lithuania’s Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite accused Russia and Belarus of what she called attempts to “destabilize our countries” and called for efforts to “secure the EU’s external borders with drones.” 

Bilotaite said the proposed “drone wall stretching from Norway to Poland” would protect borders not only with physical infrastructure, surveillance systems, but also with drones and other technologies. She also proposed organizing regional mass evacuation drills.

In November, Estonia’s government pledged nearly €12 million ($13 million) over three years to support the initiative. The country’s Police and Border Guard Board has said it was also seeking additional funding from various sources, including the EU.

Read more

NATO states want ‘drone wall’ on Russian border

Many EU and NATO members, including the Baltic states, have labeled Russia a threat to regional security. These accusations have resurfaced amid the talks between Russia and the US aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict. As part of a broader military plan, the Baltics aim to build around 1,000 concrete bunkers with trenches, anti-tank ditches, ammunition depots and supply shelters along their eastern borders, according to recent media reports.

Moscow has denied any intention of attacking any NATO countries or the EU. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such claims as “nonsense,” arguing that European politicians use the alleged threat to scare their citizenry, extract resources, and justify increased military spending.

At the same time, Russia has repeatedly warned against what it describes as NATO’s unprecedented military activity near its western borders in recent years.