Three unidentified drones flew over Belgium’s Doel nuclear power plant in the evening of 9 November, according to Reuters, citing energy company Engie. Later, Politico reported, also referring to Engie, that a total of five drones were spotted flying over the nuclear power station that evening.

Doel plant latest in string of drone sightings

Reuters cited a spokesperson from Belgian energy firm Engie, who said the drones did not disrupt the Doel plant’s operations. Authorities were informed immediately. 

"Initially we had detected three drones, but then we saw five drones. They were up in the air for about an hour," Engie spokesperson Hellen Smeets told Politico on 10 November, adding that the first report of the three drones came around 10 p.m. yesterday.

Politico reports that earlier in the evening, Liège Airport briefly suspended air traffic after several drone sightings, halting flights around 7:30 p.m. before resuming operations less than an hour later.

Government links drone threats to Russia

On 5 November, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council in response to the rising number of drone intrusions. Belgian intelligence agencies blame Russia for the incidents, according to Suspilne. As a result, authorities decided to bolster the National Air Security Center (NASC) and review anti-drone measures.

Belgium, home to NATO's headquarters, has acknowledged the security problem to counter waves of drones spotted in many European states this fall. The country has admitted it is struggling to deal with the targets spying on a critical military base that hosts its advanced fighter jets, Business Insider reports.

Theo Francken, the Belgian defense minister, said on 2 November that the country detected at least three large drones flying high above the Kleine-Brogel air base in a single night.

Drones in the sky over Kleine-Brogel, where nuclear weapons are reportedly stored

The base, in northeastern Belgium, houses the country’s fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons, and Brussels plans to station its new F-35 Lightning II aircraft there.

It is also believed that the US stores several dozen nuclear weapons at Kleine-Brogel as part of its nuclear deterrence strategy in Europe.

Francken said that a deployed drone jammer failed to neutralize the drones. He suggested that the failure might have been caused by issues with distance or by the jammer not being tuned to the correct radio frequency.

He added that a police helicopter and several vehicles were mobilized to pursue one of the drones, but they eventually lost track of it after following the system for several kilometers.

Francken said that “additional counter-drone air systems are urgently needed.”

The Kremlin's shadow over Europe

Although he did not specify who was operating the drones, European leaders have repeatedly suggested that Russia is behind a series of recent similar incursions into NATO territory.

On 28 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia employed oil tankers to launch and control drones targeting European nations. This way, the launch of drones may be invisible.

Drone warfare experience from Ukraine is shaping Europe's new air defense

A series of incidents has pushed Europe to look for cost-effective ways to counter enemy drones, which are often much cheaper than the interceptors NATO has traditionally relied on for aerial threats.

Some NATO allies, including Denmark and Poland, have sought to strengthen their air defenses with help from Ukraine, which frequently faces hundreds of Russian drones in a single night.