More drones have been observed above Danish military sites overnight, a day after NATO announced it would enhance its vigilance in the Baltic Sea region. The Danish defence ministry said in a statement it had “several capacities deployed” after drone sightings from Saturday into Sunday.
It did not offer any further details about the specifics of the deployment, the number of drones, or locations. It is the latest unexplained drone activity after several sightings last week, including over five Danish airports, raising concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression. Following a NATO meeting in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday, Colonel Martin O’Donnell, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesman, announced: “We will conduct even more enhanced vigilance with new multi-domain assets in the Baltic Sea region, which includes Denmark, under Baltic Sentry.”
Launched in January in response to a series of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines were damaged, Baltic Sentry aims to enhance NATO’s military presence in the region and improve their ability to respond to destabilising acts.
O’Donnell added that NATO leaders had been in constant contact with Danish leaders about the recent drone incidents, and the assets would include “multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and at least one air defence frigate”.
Separately, Germany said that following a request from Denmark, its armed forces would provide military support for the upcoming European Union summit later this week in Copenhagen through “counter-small unmanned aircraft systems capabilities”, also known as C-UAS, which are detection systems that use radar, optical and acoustics technologies.
Sweden had already announced earlier that it would “lend Denmark a military anti-drone capability”, without giving further details.
Tensions have been running high in Denmark in recent days following reports of drone activity, and hundreds of possible sightings reported by concerned citizens that could not officially be confirmed. Nonetheless, the public has been asked to report all suspicious activity to the police.
Danish minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said last Thursday that the goal of the flyovers is to sow fear and division, adding the country will seek additional ways to neutralise drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.
While it is not clear who is behind the drone activity, Denmark’s prime minister and NATO’s secretary-general said last week that Russian involvement could not be ruled out.
Russia’s Embassy in Denmark last week rejected claims of Moscow’s involvement in the incidents.
