Ex-CIA spy reveals drastic decision Nato chiefs MUST make to end Putin’s brazen drone and missile invasions of Europe

AN EX-CIA spy has called on Nato to “shoot down” Russian drones and warplanes to finally put a stop to Vladimir Putin’s incursions wreaking havoc across Europe. It comes after European forces scrambled fighter jets once again last night in response to a suspected Russian missile breaching Polish airspace. Flames and smoke rise after a suspected Russian drone crash in Romania in May Credit: AFP Smoke was seen rising in Tarnawa Kolonia near Poland’s Lublin region where a 33ft-wide crater was reportedly found after air raid sirens sounded across the area. Last night’s airspace violation is the latest in a series of incursions by the brazen tyrant aimed at testing Nato’s waters and seeing how far Moscow can push Europe without a response. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Just last week, a Romanian F-16 was forced to shoot down a drone invading its airspace for the first time following several repeated breaches. Ex-CIA agent Sean Wiswesser has been watching Putin’s fighter jets enter the Baltics and Russian UAVs closing airports for months. Intimately familiar with Putin‘s warfare tradecraft, after 28 years in the CIA, he knows that the only way to stop an aggressor is to answer back. He tells The Sun: “Russia is pushing the boundaries and seeing how far it can get. It will only end when we answer them back in turn. “We shoot down a Russian jet that incurs on territory. And everybody says, God forbid, that’s World War III. “In order to stop a dictator, in order to stop someone like Putin who follows the playbook of Stalin… Most read in The Sun A huge 33ft crater was found in Poland after a suspected Russian missile incursion Credit: X Nato fighter jets have been scrambled to respond to Russian incursions several times over the last year Credit: AP “He believes the Baltics don’t have a right to exist just like Ukraine did not have the right to exist. You can’t reason with that.” The former CIA agent said Russian drone incursions were part of a “new generation warfare”. He continued: “These aren’t simple accidents, when they cross over into Nato territory… they’re actively trying to see how competent we are in Nato with air defence against drones. “They’re trying to see how good Nato is at picking up if they decide to go to war again after Ukraine or while Ukraine is going on – if they decide for an incursion in the Baltics with the goal, for instance, of seizing a corridor to Kaliningrad or taking a city like Narva [in Estonia].” Wiswesser added: “A lot of those drones finally landed or were shot down in a few cases… near key Polish infrastructure targets – this is not by accident. “The very fact that we within Nato were debating whether it was an accident or not, it shows that we have a long way to go to in terms of our resolve.” Nato has faced dozens of incursions by unmanned aerial vehicles since the outbreak of Russia‘s illegal war in Ukraine four years ago. The Baltic states, Romania, Poland and other members of the defence pact have reported repeated sightings – sometimes sparking airport closures. Ex-CIA spy Sean Wiswesser has revealed what Nato chiefs must do Credit: The Sun Putin has invaded Europe with a series of suspected drone incursions Credit: AP One notable case unfolded in May, when a drone crashed into a block of flats in the Romanian town of Galati, near the Ukrainian border. The heavy impact resulted in the first confirmed civilian injuries, reportedly a woman and child, by a Kremlin drone on Nato territory since the start of Putin’s war. Wiswesser said the West too often gives Putin the benefit of the doubt when faced with suspected Russian drone or missile incursions. He said: “This is a country carrying out the largest aggression, the largest land invasion since World War Two. “Why do they get the benefit of the doubt?” The former operative noted that the campaign is part of a “non-ending, escalating second front against the West”. He said: “Never-ending war is the way that some analysts describe it, and I believe that’s accurate. “That’s the way the Russians think about unending conflict with the West, and that’s what they’re engaged in, and we need to be a lot more savvy about understanding it if we’re going to counter it.” An F-16 Nato fighter shoots down a Russian drone in Romanian airspace in July Credit: East2West Ukrainian firefighters extinguish flames after a Russian attack Credit: Dan Charity Russia is planning to take its asymmetric warfare – sabotage plots to disrupt Europe – to the next level, Wiswesser said. He warned Moscow could target satellites next. “We know they’re doing this… this is the next evolution being prepared,” he said. “Satellite warfare in space, take out our reconnaissance satellites, use anti-satellite weapons.” He added: “We’re living in a time of consequence… this is when being united matters the most. “The only way we’re ever going to stop Russian aggression is if we stand united in the West.” In the early hours of Thursday, Polish authorities confirmed an “unidentified object” landed in its territory. Multiple missiles were spotted flying close to the border at 3:30am – with one feared to be a terrifying Kh-101 missile launched from a Russian bomber. A Mi-24 helicopter was dispatched to the last area of detection before finding the “probable crash site”. Residents of Targowisko reported a loud explosion as the missile crashed and burned in a field. It comes as Ukraine faced another night of drone and missile attacks at the hands of Russia. Two girls, aged five and 12, were among six killed in a village near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. A ballistic missile is said to have hit a home and sparked a fire, a local official said. Eight others were injured, including two children. Comment now