Denmark’s prime minister has stated she “cannot deny” that drones seen over Copenhagen Airport have been flown by Russia.
Flights have been halted on Monday after two or three giant drones have been noticed close to the transport hub. All take-offs and landings have been stropped for nearly 4 hours.
Danish police stated the drones got here from totally different instructions and their lights have been turning on and off. One chance is that they have been launched from ships.
Authorities in Norway shut the airspace at Oslo airport for 3 hours after a drone was seen there, too.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated the incursion was the “most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date”.
She added: “We are obviously not ruling out any options in relation to who is behind it.
“I definitely can’t deny in any means that it’s Russia,” she told public broadcaster DR.
Appearing to reference Russian drone incursions in Poland and Romania, she said it was “clear that this matches in with the developments we now have noticed lately with different drone assaults, violations of airspace, and hacker assaults on European airports”.
The activity appeared designed to “disrupt and create unrest”, she commented.
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Flights have been halted. Pic: Reuters
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Fee, stated that whereas the information have been nonetheless being established, it’s “clear we are witnessing a pattern of persistent contestation at our borders”.
She added: “Our critical infrastructure is at risk. Europe will respond to this threat with strength and determination.”
Mark Rutte, secretary-general of NATO, stated it was “too early to say” whether or not Russia was concerned, whereas Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the allegations.
Vladimir Barbin, Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, claimed there was a “clear desire to provoke NATO countries into a direct military confrontation with Russia”.
Russia is testing and probing Europe
Though NATO and Danish officers have been cautious to not blame Russia till they’ve agency proof, it will match into an more and more regarding sample of current behaviour.
Quickly halting industrial airport operations is the form of hybrid tactic that Moscow is nice at.
At evening it is laborious to trace the precise path of the drones, the police can be reluctant to shoot them down as a result of they threat the plane falling close to homes or workplaces and, crucially, it once more highlights a NATO weak spot to guard European skies in opposition to low cost drones.
It has a monetary and psychological impression with little price to the perpetrator.
And if the proof is discovered to confidently blame Russia?
It definitely does not attain the brink for a army response, so then what? Extra ineffective sanctions, a stern diplomatic rebuke?
Russia is testing and probing Europe, inflicting embarrassment and thus far with little consequence.
Jes Jespersen, a senior inspector with Copenhagen police, stated officers determined to not shoot the drones down as a result of the airport was stuffed with passengers.
There was additionally a threat to the runways and close by gasoline depots, he added.
He described the drone pilot as a “capable actor” and stated they appeared eager to indicate off their expertise whereas practising totally different strategies, maybe.
There have been no indicators the pilot meant to trigger hurt to anybody, he stated.
Referencing the lights turning on and off and totally different flight patterns getting used, he stated: “It all indicates that you are not out to attack anyone, but you are out to show off.”
