Drone ‘attack’ in Denmark: Russia denies role, but Danish PM not willing to give a clean chit

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday said that Russian involvement in the drone “attack” on the country’s airport could not be ruled out.

At a time when many European countries have reported continuing Russin aerial incursions, drone sightings on Monday forced the closure of airports in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen for several hours. Similar drone sightings caused the closure of the airport in Norway’s capital Oslo.

Frederiksen said she “cannot rule out in any way that it is Russia” responsible for Monday’s incidents. She called it the “most serious attack so far against Danish critical infrastructure”. She said it was obvious that Russia was testing Europe’s limits with such acts.

“The obvious. To disrupt and create unrest. To cause concern. To see how far you can go and test the limits,” said Frederiksen when asked about the motive.

In recent weeks, many European nations —which are also Nato members— have reported Russian aerial incursions. Besides Denmark, Poland, Romania, and Estonia have reported Russian incursions from fighter planes and drones. In the most serious incursion, Poland said it shot down Russian drones as at least 19 Russian drones entered its airspace on the intervening night of September 9-10.

Russia on Tuesday denied its involvement in the incident in Copenhagen, calling Frederiksen’s assertion “unfounded”.

“We hear unfounded accusations from there every time. Perhaps a party that takes a serious, responsible position shouldn’t make such unfounded accusations time and again,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

‘This fits into the pattern we have seen recently’

In a statement in Danish, Frederiksen said that drone sightings in Copenhagen fit into the pattern of Russian aggression that has been seen lately in Europe.

“We do not yet know all the details, but it is clear that this fits into the pattern we have seen recently: Russian airspace violations, unwanted drone activity in several other European countries — in Poland, Romania, and Estonia, and last night also in Norway,” said Frederiksen in the statement shared on Facebook.

After holding consultations with Nato chief Mark Rutte and European Union (EU) chief Ursula von der Leyen, Frederiksen said, “What we saw last night is a clear reminder of the times we live in. A time when we must especially protect our peace and security. And while the authorities carry out their investigation, we continue the work of strengthening Denmark’s defense.”

Separately, Frederiksen said the police in Copenhagen said the episode involved a “capable actor” and that it was “clear that this ties into the developments we have observed recently with other drone attacks, violations of airspace, and cyberattacks on European airports”, as per The New York Times.