“Russia is not interested in further escalating tension in Europe, which could have unpredictable consequences,” he said in an email relayed by the embassy.
“The incident in the sky above Copenhagen Airport reveals a clear desire to provoke Nato countries into a direct military confrontation with Russia.”
In Norway, airspace at Oslo’s main airport was also briefly closed due to purported drone sightings, but the police signalled lesser concern over the incident, telling newswire NTB that the observations have yet to be verified.
Both airports have reopened after being forced to ground departing aircraft and divert arrivals.
Danish police described the situation as “very critical” and said there are indications that “a capable actor” caused the incident, without providing further details on the transgressor.
It is now working with the Armed Forces, Denmark’s intelligence agency and authorities in other countries to determine what happened.
One hypothesis is a hybrid incident involving a state actor, Flemming Drejer, operations chief at the Danish police intelligence service, said.
One scenario, among several, is that the drones were launched from ships.
The incidents underscore the growing vulnerability of major transport hubs to outside interference.
Over the weekend, a cyberattack on a key airline check-in system snarled travel at major European airports, forcing staff to process passengers manually, triggering delays and cancellations.
Unauthorised drones have been a recurring challenge for aviation authorities across Europe in recent years, while the events also hark back to suspect drone activity at Sweden’s nuclear power plants in January 2022, and similar incidents later that year near the oil and gas installations on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark needs to do more to protect critical infrastructure. This could involve buying jamming-equipment and anti-drone systems developed by Ukraine, he told local media.
European leaders expressed sympathy with Denmark following the incident, with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, among others, having spoken with the Danish PM.
In a post on X, von der Leyen said that while facts are still being established, “it is clear we are witnessing a pattern of persistent contestation at our borders” and that “Europe will respond to this threat with strength & determination”.
European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper indicated in a briefing in Brussels that Russia could be behind the incident in Copenhagen following airspace incursions in Poland, Romania, and Estonia in recent weeks.
“When we are putting the things into context, while not prejudging the results of the investigation of the authorities, we have seen a clear pattern when it comes to drones violating our airspace, and this points to Russia,” she said.
Denmark has now been invited to join other European Union member states for a meeting on Saturday to discuss a proposed “drone wall” to boost the bloc’s defences.
More than 30 airplanes heading for Copenhagen yesterday had to be diverted and more than 100 flights cancelled, a spokesperson for the hub said. Some 20,000 passengers were affected. In Norway, about 12 flights were impacted.
In a separate incident in Norway, two Singapore nationals were arrested yesterday for flying drones within a prohibited zone in Oslo city. No connection with the airport incidents is currently assumed, the police said.
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