Denmark Says Russia Is Waging Hybrid War After Drone Scare

Denmark accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against the Nordic nation and warned more attacks are likely, after a series of drone incursions disrupted operations at civilian and military airports.

The Danish Defence Intelligence Service said in a threat assessment report on Friday that the risk of hybrid attacks from Russia against military facilities has increased. The report is based on the drone incidents as well as other recent events in Denmark and Europe. On Thursday evening, flight operations were suspended at Munich Airport after several drone sightings, affecting thousands of passengers at Germany’s second-biggest hub.

“Russia is waging a hybrid war against Denmark because they want to create uncertainty,” Thomas Ahrenkiel, director of the intelligence agency, said at a press conference in Copenhagen.

Drone incursions last week disrupted commercial air traffic and spooked the Nordic nation of six million people ahead of a summit of high-level European leaders in the Danish capital. While the Danish government repeatedly has linked the drones to Russia, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said there’s no conclusive evidence yet of who operated them.

“We will see more hybrid attacks coming against Denmark,” Poulsen said at the press event on Friday. Still, “there’s no reason to fear a war; there’s no direct military threat against Denmark,” he said.

Russia has previously denied any involvement in the drone incidents.

Denmark has also been the subject of cyberattacks from Russia and has registered Russian warships sailing through its straits with sonar and drone equipment, Ahrenkiel said, without specifying when the events occurred. Russia has used jammers in Danish waters, which caused GPS disruptions, he said.

Ahrenkiel said there’s currently a Russian warship present in the waters off Denmark, which may be positioned there to engage if the Danes try to prevent Russia’s shadow fleet from sailing through the straits.

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