Denmark’s prime minister has said she “cannot deny” that drones seen over Copenhagen Airport were flown by Russia.
Flights were halted on Monday after two or three large drones were spotted near the transport hub. All take-offs and landings were stropped for almost four hours.
Danish police said the drones came from different directions and their lights were turning on and off. One possibility is that they were launched from ships.
Authorities in Norway shut the airspace at Oslo airport for three hours after a drone was seen there, too.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said 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 certainly cannot deny in any way that it is Russia,” she told public broadcaster DR.
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Appearing to reference Russian drone incursions in Poland and Romania, she said it was “clear that this fits in with the developments we have observed recently with other drone attacks, violations of airspace, and hacker attacks on European airports”.
The activity appeared designed to “disrupt and create unrest”, she commented.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that while the facts were still being established, it is “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, said it was “too early to say” whether Russia was involved, while 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”.
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Jes Jespersen, a senior inspector with Copenhagen police, said officials decided not to shoot the drones down because the airport was full of passengers.
There was also a risk to the runways and nearby fuel depots, he added.
He described the drone pilot as a “capable actor” and said they seemed keen to show off their skills while practising different techniques, perhaps.
There were no signs the pilot intended to cause harm to anyone, he said.
Referencing the lights turning on and off and different flight patterns being used, he said: “It all indicates that you are not out to attack anyone, but you are out to show off.”
