The drone war is coming for global shipping
We're entering a phase of geopolitical crisis where merchant vessels at large are facing the risk of attacks.
A new era of maritime conflict is emerging as Ukraine's use of drones against Russian-linked merchant vessels gains momentum, potentially sparking a global arms race. Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of "The Undersea War," highlights how Ukraine's campaign has caused significant harm to Russia, prompting the latter to deploy up to 200 drone units for ship protection.
This shift raises concerns about the safety of merchant ships worldwide, as they may become inadvertent targets due to the precision of Ukraine's attacks. Moreover, Russia's advancement in drone technology poses an even greater threat to civilian ships, potentially leading to a race to develop increasingly sophisticated defenses.
The stakes are high, as abandoning the principles of maritime law could result in an anarchic and dangerous ocean environment.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
