Denmark reports new drone sightings overnight at military sites

Unidentified drones seen astatine respective places, including the biggest service base, aft a slew of earlier sightings that Denmark calls a ‘hybrid attack’.

Unidentified drones person flown implicit Denmark’s subject sites, including its biggest base, the latest successful a slew of incursions adjacent airports and captious infrastructure this week, which officials person called a “hybrid attack” and hinted astatine imaginable Russian involvement.

“The Danish Defence tin corroborate that drones were observed astatine respective of the Danish Defence’s locations past night. Several capabilities were deployed,” an service spokesperson said connected Saturday, without specifying wherever the drones were observed.

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Police said “one to 2 drones” were observed astatine astir 8:15pm (18:15 GMT) connected Friday adjacent and implicit the Karup subject basal successful occidental Denmark, the country’s biggest base, which houses each of the equipped forces’ helicopters, airspace surveillance, formation schoolhouse and enactment functions.

Police spokesperson Simon Skelkjaer said they could not remark connected wherever the drones came from, adding: “We didn’t instrumentality them down.”

The Karup basal shares its runways with the Midtjylland civilian airport, which was concisely closed, though nary flights were affected arsenic nary were scheduled astatine that hour, Skelkjaer said.

Mysterious drone observations crossed the Scandinavian state implicit the past week person prompted the closure of respective airports, including Copenhagen airport, the Nordic region’s busiest, which closed for respective hours precocious connected Monday.

Five smaller airports, some civilian and military, were besides unopen temporarily successful the pursuing days.

Drone reports besides closed Oslo airdrome for respective hours earlier successful the week, pursuing drone incursions successful Polish and Romanian territory and the usurpation of Estonian airspace by Russian combatant jets, which raised tensions successful airy of Russia’s ongoing penetration of Ukraine.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen connected Thursday said “over caller days, Denmark has been the unfortunate of hybrid attacks,” referring to unconventional warfare.

Investigators person truthful acold failed to place those responsible, but Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said connected Thursday the flights appeared to beryllium “the enactment of a nonrecreational actor”.

Frederiksen has pointed the digit astatine Russia, saying it is the “main state that poses a menace to Europe’s security”.

Moscow said connected Thursday it “firmly rejects” immoderate proposition that it was progressive successful the Danish incidents. In a societal media post, its embassy successful Copenhagen called them “a staged provocation”.

The drone flights began conscionable days aft Denmark announced it would acquire long-range precision weapons for the archetypal time, arsenic Russia would airs a menace “for years to come”.

Defence ministers from astir 10 European Union countries agreed connected Friday to marque a alleged “drone wall” a precedence for the bloc.

EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said Europe needs to larn from Ukraine and swiftly physique anti-drone defences.

“We request to determination fast,” Kubilius told AFP quality bureau successful an interview. “And we request to move, taking each the lessons from Ukraine and making this drone partition unneurotic with Ukraine.”

Copenhagen volition big an EU acme gathering heads of authorities connected Wednesday and Thursday. It said connected Friday it had accepted Sweden’s connection of its anti-drone exertion to guarantee the gathering could spell up without disruption.