Copenhagen, DENMARK – After unidentified drones were sighted over multiple Danish airports since Monday night, Denmark’s prime minister said a “hybrid war” had begun.
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“It’s a hybrid war that we see unfolding on Danish soil, which we also see in other European countries,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in an interview with TV2, a private news broadcaster in Denmark.
On Monday night several unidentified drones were sighted flying over Copenhagen airport, which forced the airport to close, said authorities.
This comes after multiple European countries experienced incursions by the Russian military.
Finn Borch, who is chief of the Police Intelligence Service, said the authorities had helicopters in the air both times.
A risk of Russian espionage and sabotage is high, said Thomas Ahrenkiel, head of military intelligence in Denmark.
Youth Journalism International can confirm there was helicopter-like activity flying over residential properties at low altitude around three kilometers from the Copenhagen airport until around 10:40 p.m. But it is unclear whether these were drones or military helicopters.
Then on Wednesday, at 9:44 p.m., police were present at Aalborg Airport after reports of drones, said local police.
Shortly after the drones over Aalborg Airport, drones were spotted over small commercial airports in Esbjerg and Sønderborg and over the military airbase Skyrdstrup at around 10 p.m., said local police. Since there were no scheduled overnight flights, the airports were not closed on this occasion, police said.
On Monday, Denmark’s crisis response team, the National Operational Staff – colloquially known as NOST – was put on information alert, said the National Police.
Due to the drone activity on Wednesday, NOST is now on operational alert, according to the National Police.
Denmark is not the only country sounding the alarm about drone sightings.
Neighboring Germany also spotted drones flying over the state of Schleswig-Holstein on Friday night.
Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, Minister of the Interior for the state, told German television station NDR on Friday, that officials in Schleswig-Holstein were investigating every suspicion of espionage and sabotage and remain vigilant.
“There has been no change in the security situation,” Sütterlin-Waack said, explaining that Schleswig-Holstein Germany would be coordinating closely with other northern German states, with Denmark and with Germany’s federal officials.
In an interview with DR, Denmark’s state broadcaster, Frederiksen said there is only one country that is the primary enemy of Europe and that is Russia.
A Danish tabloid newspaper, Ekstra Bladet, reported Thursday that it spotted a Russian ship 12km from Denmark in the Langelandsbælt. Police didn’t comment on this ship at the press conference.
Noah Haynes is a Correspondent with Youth Journalism International from Copenhagen, Denmark. He reported and wrote this story.
Lina Marie Schulenkorf is a Senior Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Dresden, Germany. She contributed to this report.
