NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance has launched an effort to fortify its eastern flank following an incursion of drones into Polish airspace.

The operation, dubbed “Eastern Sentry,” will offer “an entirely new defence design” that will help better coordinate forces and “plug gaps” to create an integrated approach to protecting countries in the east, Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich told reporters at a joint news conference with Rutte on Friday.

The announcement comes two days after NATO shot down Russian drones for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Rutte said the airspace violation wasn’t an isolated incident and on a larger scale than previous breaches.

The announcement also comes as Russia and its key ally Belarus

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