Denmark reports new drone sightings overnight at military sites

The most recent incursions near airports and critical infrastructure this week, which officials have called a “hybrid attack” and made hints about possible Russian involvement, are unidentified drones that have flown over Denmark’s military installations, including its largest base.

“The Danish Defense can confirm that drones were seen last night at several of the Danish Defence’s locations. An army spokesman said on Saturday that “many capabilities were deployed,” without specifying where the drones were spotted.

On Friday, police reported that “one to two drones” were observed close to and over the Karup military base in western Denmark, the country’s largest base, which houses all of the armed forces’ helicopters, airspace surveillance, flight schools, and support functions.

Police spokesman Simon Skelkjaer said he could not be reached for information on the origin of the drones and that “we didn’t take them down.”

No flights were canceled because none were scheduled at that time, according to Skelkjaer, but the Karup base shares runways with the Midtjylland civilian airport, which was briefly closed.

Copenhagen airport, the busiest airport in the Nordic region, was closed for several hours late on Monday due to mysterious drone observations made across the Nordic nation over the past week.

In the days that followed, five smaller airports, both for military and civilian use, temporarily closed.

In response to drone incursions into Polish and Romanian territory and Russian fighter jets’ invasion of Estonian airspace, which heightened tensions in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, drone reports closed Oslo airport for several hours earlier in the week.

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, said on Thursday that “dandanda has been the victim of hybrid attacks” in reference to unconventional warfare.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated on Thursday that the flights appeared to be “the work of a professional actor,” though investigators have so far failed to identify those responsible.

Russia is the “main country that poses a threat to Europe’s security,” according to Frederiksen, who has pointed the finger at Russia.

Moscow “firmly rejects” any suggestion that it was involved in the Danish incidents, Moscow said on Thursday. Its embassy in Copenhagen described them as “a staged provocation” in a social media post.

The drone flights came just days after Denmark announced for the first time that it would acquire long-range precision weapons because Russia would “present a threat for years to come.”

A so-called “drone wall” was agreed to be a priority for the bloc on Friday by defense ministers from about 10 European Union nations.

Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s defense commissioner, said that Europe needs to quickly develop anti-drone defenses from Ukraine.

Kubilius stated in an interview that “we need to move quickly.” And we need to move, bringing Ukraine’s experience to bear, and creating a drone wall with Ukraine.