Drones have been spotted at Danish military bases in the latest of a series of aerial attacks that some European officals have linked to Russia.
Drones were seen at ‘defense facilities’ including Skrydstrup Air Base and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment overnight Friday into Saturday, the Danish defense ministry confirmed.
There were also sightings at the Karup Air Base, Denmark’s biggest military base, with local media reporting drones in the air both inside and outside the fence of the base at around 8pm on Friday. Possible sightings were also reported in Germany, Norway and Lithuania.
They have raised further concerns that Vladimir Putin is taunting NATO and come just days after airports in the Denmark were temporarily closed following a ‘systematic operation’ and a ‘hybrid attack’.
Aalborg and Billund airports were closed overnight on Wednesday into Thursday as drones flew towards them and bases where Danish F-16 and F-35 warplanes are based.
And drones in Copenhagen grounded flights in the Danish capital for hours on Monday night.
There have also been incursions into Polish, Estonian and Romanian airspace in recent weeks.
The goal of the flyovers is to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.
Drones were spotted at Danish military bases overnight in the latest of a series of aerial attacks that some European officials have linked to Russia. (Pictured: A mobile radar installation put up to spot drones)
Aalborg and Billund airports were closed overnight on Wednesday into Thursday as drones flew towards them and bases where Danish F-16 and F-35 warplanes are based
The repeated unexplained drone activity has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression.
For the upcoming European Union summit next week, the Danish defense ministry said that the country’s government had accepted an offer from Sweden to ‘lend Denmark a military anti-drone capability’.
In Germany, several drones were reported in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark, from Thursday into Friday night.
The country’s interior minister, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, said that ‘the state police are currently significantly stepping up their drone defense measures, also in coordination with other northern German states’.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that in regard to frequent attacks on infrastructure and data networks, ‘we are not at war, but we are no longer living in peace either.’
The Kremlin has been accused of launching a campaign of hybrid attacks across Europe, exposing the vulnerability of the continent’s airspace at a time of high tensions between Moscow and NATO.
European ministers are now scrambling to draw up plans for a continent-wide ‘drone wall’ to counter Moscow’s alleged aerial incursions, as the Kremlin warns that any strike on its aircraft would result in direct conflict with NATO.
Nations including Denmark, Finland, Poland and the Baltic states joined Ukraine at a summit on Friday to thrash out plans for what EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has described as ‘the bedrock of credible defence.’
Police officers previously seen at Copenhagen Airport after all flights were diverted due to drone sightings
Poland, which has already brought down Vladimir Putin’s drones in recent weeks, has vowed it will down any hostile objects over Ukraine under fast-tracked laws giving the military greater freedom to act.
However, in a chilling escalation, Russia’s ambassador to France warned that shooting down its planes ‘would be war.’ On Thursday, the country’s foreign minister also accused NATO of waging ‘real war’ on it and claimed the organisation was directly involved in its conflict with Ukraine.
Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said his country had already been targetted after multiple airports were disrupted by drones on the same night.
The incursions forced Aalborg airport, used for commercial and military flights, to shut for three hours, while Billund airport, Denmark’s second-largest, was closed for an hour.
Drones were also seen near Esbjerg and Sonderborg airports, as well as Skrydstrup airbase, home to Denmark’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, and over a military facility in Holstebro.
Poulsen said: ‘There can be no doubt that everything points to this being the work of a professional actor when we are talking about such a systematic operation in so many locations at virtually the same time.
‘This is what I would define as a hybrid attack using different types of drones. This is an arms race against time because technology is constantly evolving.’
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has spoken to NATO secretary general Mark Rutte about ‘the serious situation related to drones over Danish airports.’
Rutte said: ‘NATO allies and Denmark are working together on how we can ensure the safety and security of our critical infrastructure.’
Britain has also been drawn in – the Royal Navy dispatched HMS Iron Duke and a Wildcat helicopter to shadow the Russian frigate RFN Neustrashimy and the cargo ship Sparta IV through the Channel on Thursday.
Defence minister Luke Pollard said: ‘Russian warships are increasingly transiting through the English Channel.
The Royal Navy protects the UK 24/7 to monitor Russian movements, ensuring the security of our waters and undersea cables. Alongside our commitment to NATO’s Eastern Sentry, this is a clear demonstration of how the UK stands firm with our NATO allies to deter Russian aggression.’
Across Europe, officials believe the Kremlin is deliberately walking a tightrope, staging incidents that fall short of an outright attack but still force NATO to respond.