Multiple airports in Denmark were destroyed by drones this week after the government said it was a “hybrid attack” by unknown professional officials.
Speculation is widespread that Moscow could be behind the invasion, as Danish authorities say it is linked to recent violations of Poland and Romania’s NATO airspace by Russian drones.
The Russian Embassy in Denmark denied Russia’s involvement and said on Thursday it would reject “absurd speculation.”
Europe is already wary of a series of airspace violations by Kremlin drones and aircraft. Poland called for Article 4 consultations with NATO after Russian drones invaded airspace and Romanian airspace in separate incidents earlier this month, but Estonia did so after Russian Mig31 fighter plane entered the airspace without permission on Friday. Article 4 requires NATO states to hold consultations when members’ “territorial integrity, political independence, or security” are threatened.
What happened with the drone sightings in Denmark this week, and what are the potential risks?
On Monday, sightings of two or three large drones near Copenhagen Airport stopped all takeoffs and landings in nearly four hours.
Two days later, on Wednesday night, the drone was forced to close the second Danish airport. This was when the airport north was closed for three hours after seeing “multiple drones” flying nearby. According to Danish News Outlet TV2, the drones were observed overnight on Thursday near the Denmark airports in Esbyerg, Sonderborg and Skrydstrup. Billund Airport was temporarily closed due to reports of drone activity.
In nearby Norway, airspace above Oslo airport was closed for about three hours on Tuesday morning due to sightings of independent drones.
The incident followed a major cyberattack on check-in and boarding system providers over the weekend, and then suspended operations at some of Europe’s busiest airports, including London’s Heathrow.
We don’t know yet — and Danish authorities say it’s too early to tell. However, the country’s top officials suggest that Russia is responsible.
At a press conference on Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Rand Paulsen admitted that the intrusion must have been carried out by “professional actors.” He said it was part of the “systematic operation,” but the drones were launched locally. Poulsen added that there is currently no evidence that Russia is behind the incident.
Previously, Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen described Monday’s incident at Copenhagen airport as the most serious “attack” on Denmark’s critical infrastructure, linking it to Russian drone violations in Poland and Romania.
If Russia is behind this, there remains an important question as to who is launching the drone exactly. The Russian security services themselves, or the criminal elements acting on behalf of the Russian state.
The Russian concept of recruiting criminals in European soils is not new. In an annual speech on the security threats facing the UK in October 2024, Ken McCallum, director of the UK Intelligence Agency’s MI5, warned that national actors, particularly Russia and Iran, are increasingly recruiting criminal elements, including minor criminals, to carry out hostile acts on roads in the UK and Europe.
Little is yet known about what drones were used in the Danish sightings. However, the use of high-tech drones is becoming more widespread as technology develops, making it difficult to draw conclusions about responsible persons. “Drone technology is very sophisticated. With so many people being trained and using drones for most recreation, this is not currently a protection for elite state-based actors,” Arnold said.
Denmark says the main intentions involved such an incident were so horrifying.
“The goal of this type of hybrid attack is to create fear and division and scare us,” Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told a meeting Thursday.
According to NATO, hybrid attacks are used to “blunt the line between war and peace.” Methods include propaganda, deception, sabotage and other non-military tactics, the Alliance said.
Edward Arnold, a senior researcher at European security at the UK defense and security think tank RUSI, says there is a reason for Russia to specifically elect Denmark.
“Their (Danish) rhetoric is very anti-Russian at this point due to the war in Ukraine. They are Ukraine’s constant supporters and have done more in the last few years than most European countries.
Therefore, he believes there may be a Russian “signaling” element as Moscow is trying to warn Copenhagen from its support for Ukraine.
If Russia is behind the attack, the goal could be simply to cause confusion.
“The Russians are doing this all the time. They’re happy to be confused and annoying as a baseline,” Arnold said.
Another more serious, long-term concern is that this week’s drone invasion is relatively minor and aimed at confusion, but could be a practice run, or “technique integrity” to inflict more serious damage on future drones.
It is not unbelievable that similar drone sightings and confusion will be seen in other countries in the future.
“What do Russians and Iranians do when they succeed in a particular operation? They recreate them,” Arnold said.
He also believes it is likely to happen from time to time, such as Christmas and summer holidays, that will cause the biggest confusion. “The criminal element, drone pilots, are annoying and it’s a very difficult field to protect them.”
There are other measures that can be taken to not only close affected airports, but also to protect them from the destruction of drones.
It is possible to fire down a drone – this was ruled out in Denmark this week after the military rated it too dangerous for civilians.
Shooting down a drone will risk missing the target, Arnold explained. “If that shot misses the drone, the bullet can go somewhere else and that could pose a risk to the general public.”
In comparison, if the drone is armed and capable of causing widespread damage, the troops are much more likely to take action to shoot down the device.
Another option is drone jamming. Electronic signals can be used to destroy contact with the device operator, rendering it uncontrollable or landing it.
Other methods include sending counterdrons online to capture devices, as well as training Eagles and other birds of prey to defeat them. In 2016, it was revealed that Dutch police were deploying the Eagles after training them to defeat fraudulent drones.
