Denmark reports ‘hybrid attack’ as drones sighted at several airports

DENMARK: DENMARK’s Aalborg airport has been closed as several of the country’s airports reported unauthorised drone activity.

Danish police confirmed early on Thursday that three other smaller airports had reported drone sightings, although none were closed. Amid raised rhetoric concerning Russian efforts to test NATO defences, Danish officials have branded the incident a “hybrid attack”.

The shutdown of Aalborg, which is used for commercial and military flights, comes days after the country’s main Copenhagen airport was forced to shut temporarily.

Recent incidents involving drones and aircraft in Estonian, Polish and Romanian airspace have led to accusations that Russia is testing NATO defences.

United States President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft in their airspace.

The president of the European Commission said on Wednesday that the option of shooting down “fighter jet[s]” that intrude into NATO airspace is “on the table”.

Danish police said that they were investigating the actors behind the drones and could not rule out a prank.

Later on Thursday, officials said that the incident points to a professionally mounted hybrid attack.

“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,” Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s defence minister, told a news conference.

NATO base also targeted

“More than one” drone was sighted near Aalborg airport, which is located in northern Denmark, in the Jutland region, and is the country’s fourth-largest city by population, a police statement said.

They also noted that the drone sightings in Aalborg followed a similar pattern to those that halted flights at Copenhagen airport for four hours on Monday, when a number of large and unidentified drones were spotted near what is one of Scandinavia’s busiest airports.

The closure of Aalborg airport affected Denmark’s armed forces because it is used as a military base, police said.

“It is too early to say what the goal of the drones is and who is the actor behind,” a police official told the Reuters news agency, adding that authorities would take down the drones if possible.

The Danish armed forces said they were assisting local and national police with the investigation, but declined to comment further.

Police said later on Thursday morning that the drones had left Aalborg airspace but sightings were also reported in the vicinity of airports in Esbjerg, Sonderborg and Skrydstrup.

Fighter Wing Skrydstrup in southern Jutland is the base for Denmark’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.

Northern Jutland police told reporters that “more than one drone” had been sighted near Aalborg airport, and they were flying with lights on.

The drones were first sighted at about 9:44pm local time [19:44 GMT] on Wednesday, according to police, and remained in the airspace for several hours.

Eurocontrol, which oversees European air traffic control, said arrivals and departures at Aalborg airport would be at a “zero rate” until 04:00 GMT on Thursday due to drone activity in the vicinity.

Northern Jutland police said they could not specify the type of drones or whether they were the same as the ones flying over Copenhagen airport on Monday.

Authorities in Denmark said the incident at Copenhagen airport was the most serious attack yet on its critical infrastructure and linked it to a series of suspected Russian drone incursions and other disruptions across Europe.

Authorities in Norway also shut the airspace at Oslo airport for three hours on Monday evening after a drone was sighted.

Speaking on Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she “cannot reject in any way that it could be Russia” that was behind the Copenhagen airport incident.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on social media that “while the facts are still being established, it is clear we are witnessing a pattern of persistent contestation at our borders”.

“Our critical infrastructure is at risk,” she said. “And Europe will respond to this threat with strength and determination.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called any allegations linking Russia to the drones “unfounded”, saying that Russian “aircraft are guided by international regulations in all their flights and do not violate them in any way”.

On Wednesday von der Leyen told CNN: “My opinion is we have to defend every square centimetre of the territory. That means if there is an intrusion in the airspace, after warning, after being very clear, of course the option of shooting down a fighter jet that is intruding our airspace is on the table.”

Earlier this month, Poland closed four of its airports, including one in its capital, Warsaw, after Russian drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace, according to the Polish military.

NATO members have committed to increasing the defence of their borders while reconfirming their allegiance in the aftermath of the drone incident in Poland.