Danish police and Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) are present at DSB on Kystvejen by Copenhagen Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, after drones flew over Copenhagen Airport on Monday evening and the airspace was closed for four hours. (Steven Knap/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen holds a doorstep and comments on drone activity Monday evening at Copenhagen Airport, in Copenhagen, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Naviair Director Morten Fruensgaard, left, police inspector Jens Jespersen, centre, and operations manager at Naviair Kristoffer Plenge-Brandt hold a joint press conference at police headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Sept. 23, 2025, after drones were seen on Monday evening near Copenhagen Airport and the airspace over Copenhagen was closed for four hours into Tuesday. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Danish officials believe drone flyovers at 4 airports are meant to sow fear and division
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥 Drones flew over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the latest instance of unexplained drone activity that has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid growing Russian aggression.
Danish police and Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) are present at DSB on Kystvejen by Copenhagen Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, after drones flew over Copenhagen Airport on Monday evening and the airspace was closed for four hours. (Steven Knap/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥 Drones flew over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday, the latest instance of unexplained drone activity that has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid growing Russian aggression.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the incidents a 鈥渉ybrid attack鈥 because the flights all occurred within roughly the same timeframe. It was not immediately clear who was behind the incidents, but Poulsen said that it appeared a 鈥減rofessional actor鈥 was behind the 鈥渟ystematic鈥 flights. He did not provide more details during a news conference Thursday morning.
Authorities said there was no danger to the public.
The goal of the flyovers was to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.
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Flights were halted for several hours at Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark, which also serves as a military base. Drone sightings began shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and ended just before 1 a.m. Thursday.
Three airports in Esbjerg, S酶nderborg and Skrydstrup also were impacted. Skrydstrup is an air base that is home to some of the Danish military’s fighter jets.
The drones appeared to be flying around the airports with their lights turned on but authorities decided against attempting to shoot down the drones, police said. Additional details were not immediately available.
The latest drone activity came just days after , conducted by what police call a 鈥渃apable actor.鈥
The Copenhagen drones grounded flights in the Danish capital for hours Monday night, prompting concerns that Russia could be behind the flyover above Scandinavia鈥檚 largest airport.
While it wasn鈥檛 immediately clear who was behind the flyover, Denmark鈥檚 prime minister and said that Russian involvement couldn鈥檛 be ruled out. Denmark, already on edge because of its proximity to Russia, will join a group of neighboring countries Friday to discuss the European Union鈥檚 plans for a 鈥渄rone wall.鈥
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called the Copenhagen incident 鈥渢he most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.鈥
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected suggestions that Moscow could be involved.
It was not immediately clear whether the Copenhagen flyover was related to the latest incidents.
Security concerns in northern Europe are heightened following growing Russian aggression. On Tuesday, NATO warned Russia that it would use all means to defend against any further breaches of its airspace after the downing earlier this month of and Estonia鈥檚 report of an last week.
Speaking before the latest drone sightings in Denmark, French President Emmanuel Macron argued that NATO nations would have to react 鈥渕ore strongly鈥 to Russian incursions. He didn鈥檛 detail the potential response.
鈥淲e cannot allow the idea to take root that Poland, Estonia, Romania are in a weak situation because the next step would be Germany and then us,鈥 Macron said in an interview with broadcasters France 24 and RFI.
