Yet another airspace incursion raises concerns about the safety of European skies. "The matter is very serious", Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen comments, who suspects a Russian hand

Aircraft traffic at Copenhagen Airport was halted for nearly four hours on the night between Monday, 22 and Tuesday, 23 September 2025, after several large “unidentified” drones were spotted in the surrounding area. The Danish police confirmed the events, describing the perpetrators as “capable operators” and stressing that the breach revealed a clear intent and preparation to act on the part of those who carried it out. Not a casual incursion, then, but deliberate and prepared in detail. “This is an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to act in this way", said Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen, adding that investigations are ongoing. Sightings, which came from multiple directions, forced the airport management to divert incoming flights to other airports, including in Sweden, causing delays and cancellations that continued throughout today. The airport, which serves about 30 million passengers each year, only reopened after midnight.

The same situation also occurred in Oslo, where the airport was closed for about three hours this morning due to a similar sighting. The Norwegian police have launched an investigation, and in this case too inbound scheduled flights to the airport were redirected. The airport resumed operations in the morning, but passenger disruption was significant. Although no direct links have been found, the event followed Monday’s arrest of two foreigners who were piloting drones over a restricted area near the Fortress of Akershus.

Danish and Norwegian authorities have not yet determined whether there is a link between the two incidents or whether they are connected to other recent similar events in Europe. The situation has reignited debate about the vulnerability of civil airspace and the need to strengthen defenses against threats of this kind. Although no official source has confirmed Russia’s responsibility, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that she cannot “in any way rule out that it is Russia” involved in the drone incursions.

According to the prime minister, the episode is part of a series of “hybrid attacks and sabotage attempts” recorded in Europe. “We have seen drones in Poland where they should not have been. We have seen activity in Romania, airspace violations in Estonia, a cyberattack on European airports over the weekend, and now drones in Denmark and Norway", said Frederiksen, underlining the seriousness of the situation.

Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of an alleged Russian violation of Danish airspace, Copenhagen authorities have not confirmed this thesis, which remains a suspicion. The director of Copenhagen police, Anne Tønnes, described the event as a “drone attack” and an “assault” on critical infrastructure, noting that this is a “very serious situation". The Danish intelligence service, Pet, is conducting an in-depth investigation in cooperation with other agencies. Flemming Drejer, Pet’s operational chief, reiterated that the agency is taking the situation “extremely seriously” at a time when Denmark is under a “heightened threat of sabotage". The prime minister concurred, concluding: this “drone overflight is the most serious attack ever seen", whose intent may have been to “disrupt and create disorder, concern, see how far one can go and test the limits".