Copenhagen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Police reported on Saturday that new unidentified drones were seen over Denmark’s largest military base. This incident is part of a series of sightings that Danish officials have described as a “hybrid attack.”
“I can confirm that we had an incident around 8:15 pm (1815 GMT Friday) that lasted for some hours. One to two drones were observed outside and over the airbase,”
Duty officer Simon Skelsjaer said, referring to the Karup military base.
He said police could not comment on where the drones came from, adding:
“We didn’t take them down.”
What disruptions have drones caused at Danish airports recently?
The incidents occurred after Copenhagen Airport, Scandinavia’s largest, was closed on Monday evening because of drones. Drones were later seen at Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Sonderborg airports, as well as at Skrydstrup air base, prompting authorities to respond quickly.
The event Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.” Denmark informed NATO allies that unidentified “state actors” were behind drone incursions, which led to the closure of airports.
Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark lacked the tools to counter such incursions, noting that the country does not have a ground-based air defence system and suggesting even advanced measures might struggle to tackle the type of drones observed.
The incident reflects a pattern of Russian disruptions, which some European officials believe has exposed European airspace amid heightened tensions between Moscow and NATO.
Which European countries have also reported unidentified drone activity?
In recent days, several NATO and European countries have reported sightings and disruptions caused by unidentified drones.
The very first drone intrusion occurred in Poland, and it prompted it to temporarily close airports, including the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport, which is a transit hub for military aid to Ukraine. Unidentified drones moved over the Murmelon-le-Grand military base located in the Marne department of France.
There had been sightings of drones above and around the naval base at Karlskrona, Sweden. In the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, unidentified drones were seen near the Danish border, with investigations underway to determine if any espionage or sabotage arguably took place.
