European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius says that a Russian airstrike on an arms factory in Europe would fall under Article 5 of NATO

Aerial or missile attack launched by Russia against an arms factory in Europe would fall under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius said Thursday. The statement was made to Polish television on the sidelines of a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence.

The statement comes after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that arms factories in European countries producing weapons for Ukraine could become Russia’s military targets.

An adviser to Kubilius specified that the European official was referring specifically to an airstrike or missile attack against a factory. In recent weeks, several European states have investigated suspected incidents at facilities in the defense industry. Estonia attributed last month’s fire at contractor Milrem Robotics to Russian intelligence services, while Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovakia reported similar incidents.

Kubilius’s position prompted cautious reactions within NATO. The Alliance emphasized that Article 5 is deliberately worded ambiguously and that its activation is not automatic. A NATO diplomat pointed out that decisions regarding the application of the article belong to the Alliance, not to an official of the European Union.