Denmark is weighing whether to trigger NATO’s Article 4 consultations after unauthorised drones targeted four airports across the nation in what Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called a “hybrid attack” by a “professional actor” during a press conference in Copenhagen this morning.
The coordinated drone incursions forced the closure of Aalborg Airport in northern Jutland overnight whilst similar incidents were reported at Esbjerg, Sønderborg airports and Skrydstrup military airbase, marking the second wave of mysterious drone activity to strike Danish airspace this week. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard declared the incidents were intended to “spread fear, create division and frighten us” as Denmark becomes the latest NATO member to face suspected hostile aerial intrusions.
The overnight operation, which stretched from late Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, saw multiple drones flying with their lights on over critical infrastructure in what authorities described as a systematic and coordinated assault. North Jutland chief police inspector Jesper Bøjgaard Madsen confirmed that efforts to neutralise the drones had failed, stating: “It was not possible to take down the drones, which flew over a very large area over a couple of hours. At this time, we have not apprehended the drone operators either.”
Poulsen stressed during the emergency briefing that “everything indicates that it is a professional actor” behind the incidents, adding that the drones had “not come from a long distance”, suggesting they were deployed from nearby locations. “There can be no doubt that everything points to this being the work of a professional actor when we are talking about such a systematic operation in so many locations at virtually the same time,” the defence minister told reporters.
The minister confirmed Denmark had already reached out to both NATO and the European Union about the breaches, though officials have not yet decided whether to formally invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which would trigger mandatory consultations amongst alliance members about threats to territorial integrity or security.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who earlier this week described Monday’s Copenhagen Airport shutdown as “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date”, has not ruled out Russian involvement. I cannot rule out that it is Russia,” Frederiksen stated, referencing recent incidents across Eastern Europe. “We have seen drones over Poland that should not have been there. We have seen activity in Romania. We have seen violations of Estonian airspace.”
The Kremlin swiftly dismissed suggestions of Russian involvement as “unfounded”, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejecting any connection to the Danish incidents.
Aalborg Airport, Denmark’s fourth-largest city by population and a facility that serves both commercial and military purposes, bore the brunt of Wednesday night’s disruption. Four flights were affected, including two SAS flights, one Norwegian and one KLM flight from Amsterdam, which was diverted to Billund. FlightRadar24 data showed the last take-off occurred at 21:19 local time before the airspace was closed at 21:55.
Gert Madsen, a passenger on the diverted KLM flight, told Danish broadcaster TV2: “When we got the message, we were halfway through the trip from Amsterdam. The captain said that it was now Aalborg’s turn and that the airspace was closed.”
South Jutland police reported receiving “several reports of drone activity at the airports in Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup”, noting the drones “flew with lights and were observed from the ground, but it has not yet been clarified what type of drones they are or what the motive is.
The incidents follow Monday’s four-hour shutdown of Copenhagen Airport, Scandinavia’s busiest hub, which affected approximately 100 flights and 20,000 passengers. Senior police inspector Jens Jespersen had initially suggested those responsible merely intended to “show off” rather than cause harm, though Thursday’s coordinated operation appears to contradict that assessment.
Justice Minister Hummelgaard emphasised that Denmark would bolster its defensive capabilities, announcing plans to acquire enhanced systems to “detect” and “neutralise drones”. He warned that the threat from hybrid attacks “is here to stay” and highlighted that “the attacks we have seen in recent days are part of a series of deeply worrying episodes across Europe. It tells a very serious story about what kind of times we live in.”
The Danish government has authorised security forces to shoot down drones in future incidents, with Poulsen declaring: “We are going to find the people who are behind this. We have various military capabilities that can help defend Denmark, F-35 and our frigates.”
However, the defence minister acknowledged Denmark’s vulnerability, admitting the nation lacks a ground-based air defence system. “We need to have a wide range of tools to combat what comes our way, whether it’s missiles or drones,” Poulsen stated, adding it was “clear” that Denmark would face more hybrid attacks requiring enhanced countermeasures.
The Danish incidents form part of an escalating pattern of airspace violations across NATO’s eastern flank. Estonia triggered Article 4 consultations on 19 September after three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated its airspace for twelve minutes over the Gulf of Finland. Poland invoked the same article on 10 September following incursions by multiple Russian drones during a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Russia on Tuesday against a “continuation of this dangerous pattern”, stating the alliance stands “ready and willing to defend every inch of allied territory. The alliance subsequently issued a statement declaring Russia “bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation, and endanger lives.”
US President Donald Trump, speaking at the UN General Assembly earlier this week, suggested NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft breaching their airspace, whilst European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed such options were “on the table.
Denmark’s consideration of Article 4 would mark only the tenth time the consultation mechanism has been invoked since NATO’s formation in 1949, with two instances occurring within September alone. The article allows member states to request urgent talks when they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security faces threats.
Flemming Drejer, director of operations at the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, had warned on Tuesday that Denmark faced a “high threat of sabotage”, suggesting the drones might be deployed to “stress us out and see how we react” rather than conduct immediate attacks.
Commercial drones typically cannot operate near airports as these areas are designated as “no-fly zones” in their GPS software, further supporting authorities’ assessment of professional involvement. The Air Transport Wing of the Danish Air Force confirmed the drones were “unauthorised” and stated they were “cooperating with the police on the handling of the situation.”
As tensions mount across Europe’s eastern borders, Denmark joins a growing list of NATO members confronting mysterious aerial intrusions that officials increasingly attribute to hybrid warfare tactics designed to test alliance defences and resolve. With Estonia and Poland’s Article 4 consultations scheduled for continued discussions in Brussels, Denmark’s potential invocation would signal an unprecedented escalation in NATO’s collective response to these provocative incidents.
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Image Credit:
Portræt af Peter Hummelgaard — photo by AgSH89, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0
