Key Points
- Copenhagen Airport shut for hours after large drones flew overhead
- PM Frederiksen calls it Denmark’s most serious infrastructure attack
- Authorities cite risk to aircraft and fuel depots in decision not to shoot drones
- NATO and EU vow support; Russia denies involvement
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Denmark’s prime minister on Tuesday described the overnight drone flights that forced the closure of Copenhagen Airport as the “most serious attack” ever on the country’s critical infrastructure, even as Russia firmly denied any involvement.
Police said two to three large drones repeatedly flew over the airport late Monday, prompting a suspension of takeoffs and landings for several hours and causing dozens of flights to be diverted.
Officers noted that the devices were operated by what they termed a “capable” handler, suggesting the flights were deliberate and coordinated.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters the disruption marked “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.” She said authorities would not rule out the foreign actors, noting that similar incidents have targeted European airports and energy facilities in recent months.
Airport officials said they refrained from shooting down the drones due to safety concerns. “The proximity of passenger aircraft on the ground and large fuel depots meant any interception carried unacceptable risks,” a police spokesperson told Reuters.
The Kremlin rejected any suggestion of Russian involvement. “These accusations are unfounded and part of a continuing campaign to blame Russia without evidence,” a Russian Foreign Ministry official told TASS.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels the alliance stood in “full solidarity” with Denmark and was monitoring the situation closely. “The Alliance had intensified aerial surveillance across the Baltic region following Estonia’s report of separate drone incursions near its air bases,” he added.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the incident in a statement carried by Euronews. Attacks on civilian infrastructure “will not intimidate Europe,” and the bloc will support Denmark in strengthening counter-drone defences, she added.
Security experts in Denmark said the incident highlights the vulnerability of civilian aviation hubs to drone activity, warning that counter-drone systems remain limited in much of Europe.
The Danish incident is the latest in a chain of security breaches along NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier this month, Poland said nearly 20 Russian drones had crossed into its airspace overnight, with one Polish interceptor missile damaging a house after its guidance system malfunctioned.
Estonia soon after accused Russian fighter jets of violating its airspace, prompting Washington’s new ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, to vow at an emergency Security Council meeting that the United States and its allies would “defend every inch of NATO territory.”
Likewise, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington that the flights were “reckless and destabilising.
