India, Sept. 25 -- Czech President Petr Pavel has delivered a blunt assessment that NATO's measured response to repeated Russian airspace violations represents a strategic miscalculation likely to encourage further Kremlin aggression. Speaking during an interview with the Sunday Times, Pavel articulated a doctrine of escalating deterrence, warning that European nations must abandon what he characterised as insufficient passive reactions to Moscow's calculated boundary-testing operations.

"I believe there will be a moment, if these violations continue, where we will have to use stronger measures, including potentially shooting down a Russian aeroplane or drones," Pavel told the newspaper. "Russia wouldn't allow repeated violations of thei...