Denmark bans drone flights after latest drone sightings at military bases

Following reports of drone sightings at various military locations overnight on Saturday, Denmark has banned civilian drones from entering its airspace ahead of the European Union Summit. Following a number of drone incidents over the past week, which have resulted in the closure of several airports, the Nordic nation has been on alert.

Denmark, which will serve as the EU’s rotating presidency for the second half of the year, will host European leaders on Monday through Friday of the following week, so the ban will continue.

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Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement on Sunday that “we are currently in a difficult security situation” and that “we must ensure the best possible working conditions for the police and the armed forces when they are in charge of security during the EU summit.”

Without providing further details about the deployment, the number of drones, or the locations, the nation’s Ministry of Defense stated earlier in the day in a statement that it had “several capacities deployed” following the drone sighting.

In response to the drone attack in Denmark, the NATO military alliance announced the day after the announcement that it would upgrade its air defense mission in the Baltic Sea with an air defense frigate.

NATO stated in a statement to the Reuters news agency that it would “conduct even more enhanced vigilance with new multi-domain assets in the Baltic Sea region.”

“intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms as well as at least one air-defence frigate” were included among the new assets, according to the statement.

After several large drones were spotted in Copenhagen Airport’s airspace on Monday, Copenhagen Airport was closed for a few hours. Five smaller Danish airports, both for business and for military, were also temporarily closed in the days that followed.

A “hybrid attack”

The Danish transportation ministry declared that “every civilian drone flying in Danish airspace will be prohibited” to reduce the possibility that legal drones and enemy drones can be confused.

We can’t accept that, as we’ve recently seen, foreign drones cause uncertainty and disturbances in our society. Denmark will host EU leaders in a week where security will be prioritized more, according to Danish Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen.

According to the statement, “A violation of the prohibition can result in fines or imprisonment for up to two years.”

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU’s leaders will be held in Denmark on Wednesday, followed by a summit of the wider, 47-member European Political Community.

The drones are a “hybrid attack,” according to Denmark. Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister, has suggested that Moscow may be the culprit, calling Russia the “primary” nation that “poses a threat to European security,” but it has stopped short of saying definitively. The Kremlin disputes responsibility.

Moscow has already refuted the accusation, according to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who stated last week that Russian involvement was unavoidable.

On Sunday, a German air defense frigate made an appearance in Copenhagen to assist with airspace surveillance despite the high-profile events.

Meanwhile, Estonia accused Russia of three MiG-31 fighter jets entering its airspace for 12 minutes before Italian-NATO fighter jets led the invasion.

Russia has also refuted claims that its fighter jets have entered Estonian airspace.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized Western accusations of spreading fear about the possibility of a “third world war” at a UN speech on Saturday.