NATO plans to create a unified digital control system along the eastern borders of the alliance’s member states, according to Bild. The project is expected to cover the area from Finland in the north to Romania’s coast in the south.

The German outlet cited a document titled the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. According to the document, the system’s main task will be to track Russian troop movements in real time in order to prevent a possible attack.

The project will be based on the Kill Web concept, which connects different intelligence tools into a single information network. Satellites, reconnaissance drones, autonomous ground robotic platforms and hidden sensor systems are expected to be used for data collection.

All gathered information will be sent to shared command centers. There, artificial intelligence will process the data, while the results of the analysis will be available to all NATO member states. The system is designed to give commanders a common operational picture and help them choose more quickly the tools needed to stop a potential «threat».

At the same time, NATO leadership stresses that the new digital system will not replace military equipment or personnel. Under the plan, the eastern flank would include a zone where drones, ground robots and other autonomous systems would be used first in the event of an attack. Conventional units, including manned aircraft, armored vehicles and personnel, would be brought in afterward.

Russian officials have repeatedly said that Russia does not intend to attack Europe. President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow has no geopolitical, economic or military reason to go to war with NATO.