Young journalists expose Russian-linked vessels off the Dutch and German coast

Perceived (In)Competence of German/EU/NATO Response

• Several commenters see the German state as amateurish and passive, with “symbolic” ship inspections and no visible countermeasures, eroding trust in defense.
• Others argue intelligence services almost certainly know about the vessels and drones; the real issue is political decision-making, not information gaps.
• Suspected reasons for restraint: fear of legal blowback under maritime law, desire to avoid escalation, or using the “Russian scare” for EU/NATO integration or domestic politics.
• Some extend responsibility to NATO and the US, noting US troops on European soil and suggesting Washington may be pushing de‑escalation.

Why Not Just Seize Ships or Shoot Down Drones?

• Strong debate over practicality and legality:
  • Shooting drones over populated areas risks debris and stray fire; many countries until recently lacked clear legal authority to down drones that aren’t an immediate kinetic threat.
  • Examples cited of Dutch firing on drones and new German laws to enable police/military action, but implementation is seen as slow.
• Technically, many drones fly fast and high; ground fire is ineffective except at short range. Interceptor drones, radars, and jamming are seen as the real solution but not yet widely deployed.
• Some insist ships in international waters could be boarded by special forces, citing other tanker seizures; others emphasize legal and political complications and escalation risks.

Threat Perception: Real Danger vs “Fear-Mongering”

• Eastern European voices (notably from Poland) describe feeling already under hybrid attack (drones, propaganda, online hate campaigns), and frustrated by “lukewarm” Western support for Ukraine and continued EU payments for Russian energy.
• Some Western Europeans admit earlier naïveté about Russia post–Cold War and express shame at limited aid, but still back NATO/EU as the “lesser evil.”
• Others suspect the drone issue is being exaggerated for domestic agendas, likening it to UFO panics or Cold War submarine scares, and argue Russia’s conventional capabilities look underwhelming.

OSINT, Journalism, and Policy Impact

• The young journalists/OSINT work is widely praised as “legendary” and evidence that open‑source methods can track shadow fleets.
• Many assume agencies already had this data; the article is seen as exposing public–political gaps rather than discovering unknown threats.
• Several commenters doubt it will change EU policy quickly, given slow legislative processes and a perceived tendency toward symbolic financial measures (e.g., asset freezes) instead of rapid hard-security actions.