Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen has bemoaned a drone incursion that shut Copenhagen airport for several hours, saying that her country was subjected to the “most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”
The statement came after large drones were seen circling above the airport in the Danish capital on Monday.
Danish police said that two or three large drones that were seen on Monday night close to the airport, which is also the main airport for southern Sweden, appeared to have been flown by a “capable operator” who was looking to show that they had particular capabilities. No suspects have so far been identified.
The drones in Denmark came from multiple directions, turning their lights on and off for several hours before disappearing.
Oslo airport, Norway’s main aviation hub, was also forced to close for three hours after two drones were observed there.
Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded in the Nordic region by the two incidents and flights had to be diverted. Authorities in Denmark and Norway are investigating whether the two sightings were related.
Frederiksen said in a statement that it was a reflection of “the times we live in and what we as a society must be able to handle.”
“The police assess that this is a capable actor and the Copenhagen police are working closely with PET [the Danish security and intelligence agency], the Danish armed forces and international partners on the investigation, which is in full swing.
“We are obviously not ruling out any options in relation to who is behind it. And it is clear that this fits in with the developments we have been able to observe recently with other drone attacks, violations of airspace and hacker attacks on European airports.”
Mette Frederiksen
She said in an interview that it had to be seen “in the context of everything else that is happening in Europe.”
“We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there, we have seen activity in Romania, violations of Estonian airspace, we have a hacker attack on European airports over the weekend and now drones in Denmark and Norway.”
Mette Frederiksen
She said the incursion was intended to “disrupt and create unrest. To create concern. See how far you can go and test the limits.”
She added that she cannot in “any way deny that it is Russia.” “We are seeing a number of hybrid attacks and sabotage and attempted sabotage,” she said, adding that authorities are investigating the incident in Denmark.
Separately, her Norwegian counterpart, Gahr Støre, said in a statement that Russia has violated Norwegian airspace “on three occasions this spring and summer.”
Jens Jespersen, a Danish police chief superintendent, said, “We have concluded that this was what we would call a capable operator. It’s an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to show off in this way.”
He said that it was too early to say whether the incidents in Denmark and Norway were connected. The PST disclosed that it was working to establish whether the Norwegian and Danish drone sightings were related.
Russia Denies Involvement In Drone Incident Over Copenhagen Airport
Meanwhile, Russia denied that it was connected to the drone flights that forced Copenhagen airport to close its airspace for hours overnight, after Denmark’s prime minister said she could not rule out Russian involvement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing call, “We hear unfounded accusations from there every time.” He added, “Perhaps a party that takes a serious, responsible position shouldn’t make such unfounded accusations time and again.”
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, claimed without providing evidence that Russia was behind the Copenhagen incident.
Danish police declined to comment on the claim, saying they did not know.
READ ALSO: Oil Prices Edge Higher as Iraq-Kurdistan Pipeline Deal Nears Approval
