EU envoys hold secret talks on mass-casualty hybrid attack scenario

Ambassadors from all 27 EU member states have held weeks of closed-door meetings in Brussels to prepare for a hybrid attack that could cause mass civilian casualties, Politico reported, citing diplomats and officials. The talks are held in a restricted format, with no aides and no mobile phones allowed in the room, and have focused specifically on a scenario involving many dead.

Diplomats told Politico that an attempt in early August to bring down a Ukrainian cargo plane leaving Leipzig airport with an explosive-laden drone sharpened the debate. The drone struck the aircraft but its detonator had come loose and the explosive did not go off. Germany's government has officially named Russia as responsible for the attempt, and a criminal investigation is continuing.

One EU official told Politico that, given the scale of Russian operations, it was written in the stars that casualties would occur sooner or later, and said earlier incidents that ended without deaths had been down to pure luck. Ambassadors are working through practical questions, including which countries send emergency teams, what EU funding can be released quickly, and how heads of state and government should communicate during a crisis.

The talks gained urgency after drones struck two merchant ships in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea on Tuesday. One of them, the Alfa Watan, sank, and its crew remains missing after Bulgaria's coastguard ended its search on Wednesday morning. The whole crew of the second ship, the Able, were rescued, though two were seriously injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the attack, citing discussions with Bulgaria's navy, but Bulgarian authorities have not said who was responsible.

European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath said European democracies face a growing number of threats, and that the EU wants to detect them faster, improve warning systems and ensure member states can respond together. The preparations have also exposed disagreements, with some states concerned that the EU is duplicating NATO's role and creating confusion over who leads during a crisis. One diplomat from an eastern-flank state said their government was wary of sharing sensitive information even in meetings of heads of government, for fear it would leak to the media or reach Moscow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed an EU emergency protocol for security crises in September, under which all EU states would meet to coordinate their response if one member state activated it; she has said it is designed to complement NATO, not duplicate it. Former NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told Politico that the alliance should handle military deterrence and intelligence-sharing, leaving the EU to focus on helping civilians, to avoid confusion when a fast response is needed.