Denmark drone attacks: Major update on Russian involvement after airport closures | World | News

There is no evidence that Russia is behind two drone incursions which happened in Denmark in days, the Scandanavian country’s defence minister has said – while not ruling the possibilty out. Drone activity was spotted overnight Wednesday into Thursday near Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark, as well as three smaller airports in the country, police said.

Authorities said they were unable to neutralise the drones but added there was no threat to the public. Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Troels Lund Poulsen was asked whether he saw a connection between the report that Denmark will acquire missiles that can hit targets in Russia and the latest incidents.

He said: “I have no evidence to say that at all. But in the situation we are in at the moment, there are countries or actors who may have an interest in undermining support for Ukraine.

“It is of course important that we are also open about that.

“The crucial thing is that we do not allow ourselves to be intimidated by Russia.

“We work 24/7 to detect drones or neutraliee them and ensure they do not impact critical infrastructure.

“Unfortunately, this is a new reality we are looking into, with someone who wants to create destabilisation. I can’t say who it is.”

Mr Poulsen told reporters Denmark was considering activating NATO’s Article 4, whereby any member state can table an issue for discussion by the North Atlantic Council – but said not final decision had yet been taken.

He also emphasised: “I don’t think any of our authorities are afraid to shoot down drones. But we are talking about the fact that it is dark and that you need to be aware of where the drones fall and what the consequences are.

“If they are neutralised incorrectly, we are going to have a very big discussion about who is responsible if it crashes into a house.

Chief of Defence Michael Hyldgaard added: “You can’t just run around and shoot up into the air, because what we shoot up comes back down.”

Flights were halted for several hours at Aalborg Airport, which also serves as a military base. Drone sightings began shortly before 10pm on Wednesday and ended just before 1am on Thursday.

The airports in Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup also were impacted.

The latest drone activity comes just a few days after a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, conducted by what police call a “capable actor.”

The Copenhagen drones grounded flights in the Danish capital for hours Monday night, prompting concerns that Russia could be behind the flyover above Scandinavia’s largest airport.

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