NATO is ready to respond to a Russian attack on its eastern flank, Military Committee Chairman Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said, citing detailed defense plans and the readiness of allied forces.
Speaking after a meeting of military chiefs from the alliance’s 32 members in Copenhagen on Sept. 19, Cavo Dragone said NATO had 4,000 pages of plans covering responses ranging from limited incidents to collective defense operations.
He said the alliance’s command structure, troops and weapons were ready, while efforts to strengthen its military capabilities continued.
Cavo Dragone accused Russia of testing allied resolve through airspace violations, drone incidents and other hostile activities intended to undermine trust and weaken unity.
“These attempts are not dividing us,” he said.
“They are sharpening our tools, making us more united and determined.”
His remarks followed a warning from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Moscow could send drones or missiles into a NATO country to test the alliance’s response.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied having plans to attack Europe.
Separately, Politico reported that Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom planned to expand production of carbon fiber used in attack drones at its Alabuga-Volokno plant in Tatarstan.
Documents obtained by the publication outlined plans to add 500 metric tons of aerospace-grade carbon fiber to annual output by 2029.
The strong, lightweight material is used in drone airframes.
Arms expert David Albright estimated that the additional material could support production of about 28,000 more attack drones a year.
Politico put the potential increase at 78 percent, against Ukraine’s estimate that Russia can currently produce more than 36,000 Geran attack drones annually.
The documents were gathered by the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, a Kiev-based think tank close to the Ukrainian government.
Politico said the U.S. House Select Committee on China and Ukrainian authorities had reviewed them and judged them authentic.
The publication also cited internal shipping and customs records showing that the plant received 46 tons of chemicals used in carbon fiber production from a Chinese state company earlier this year.
China’s embassy in Washington said it was unaware of plans to expand Russian drone production and that Beijing strictly controlled exports of goods with both civilian and military uses.
Rosatom declined to comment on the documents.
The company had previously said it and its subsidiaries operated in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
