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Large drones that flew implicit Copenhagen airdrome for hours and caused it to unopen down constituted the "most superior onslaught connected Danish captious infrastructure" to date, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said connected Tuesday (September 23, 2025).
Airports successful Copenhagen and Oslo reopened aboriginal connected Tuesday (September 23, 2025), hours aft unidentified drones successful their airspace caused dozens of flights to beryllium diverted oregon cancelled, disrupting thousands of passengers.
"This is portion of the improvement we person precocious observed with different drone attacks, airspace violations, and cyberattacks targeting European airports," Ms. Frederiksen said successful a statement.
She referred to akin drone incidents successful Poland and Romania and the usurpation by Russian combatant jets of Estonia's airspace.
The governments of Poland, Estonia and Romania person pointed the digit astatine Moscow, which has brushed disconnected the allegations.
Ms. Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster DR she could "not regularisation out" that Russia was down the drone activity.
Moscow denied involvement, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticising her remarks arsenic "unfounded accusations".
On X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced what helium said was a Russian usurpation of Denmark's airspace.
Danish constabulary meantime said they had been incapable to place the drone operator.
"The number, size, formation patterns, clip implicit the airport. All this unneurotic ... indicates that it is simply a susceptible actor. Which susceptible actor, I bash not know," Copenhagen constabulary inspector Jens Jespersen told reporters.
"It was an histrion that had the capacity, the volition and the tools to marque their beingness known," helium said.
'High menace of sabotage'
Danish quality said the Scandinavian state was facing a "high menace of sabotage".
"Someone whitethorn not needfully privation to onslaught us, but alternatively accent america retired and spot however we react," Flemming Drejer, manager of operations astatine Denmark's quality work PET, said.
Mr. Jespersen said "several ample drones" flew implicit the Copenhagen airdrome for much than 3 hours connected Monday (September 22, 2025) evening.
A dense constabulary beingness was dispatched, and the devices could beryllium seen coming and going for respective hours earlier flying distant connected their own, constabulary said.
Police were cooperating with the Danish subject and quality work successful their investigation, Mr. Jespersen said.
Police decided not to sprout down the drones for information reasons.
"You person to deliberation precise cautiously earlier starting to effort to instrumentality down specified large drones," Mr. Jespersen said.
If they were to autumn to the ground, "there are planes with people, fuel, and besides lodging connected respective sides of the airport."
Mr. Jespersen said it was not known wherever the drones were being controlled from, but that it could person been from galore kilometres away.
The drones were flying from respective directions, helium said.
"It could precise good beryllium thing initiated from a ship," helium told DR.
The Copenhagen airdrome is located connected the seashore of the Oresund Strait, betwixt Sweden and Denmark.
Air postulation disruptions
Airport officials said aerial postulation had resumed aboriginal Tuesday but 20,000 passengers were affected by 31 formation diversions and much than 100 cancellations.
Heavy delays and disruptions were expected passim Tuesday arsenic galore planes were not astatine their planned airports.
Long queues of passengers stood astatine counters astatine Copenhagen airdrome trying to rebook their flights.
"I'm not acrophobic ... but I americium alert that Russia's hybrid warfare is expanding steadily," German traveller Eckart Nikolai Bierduempel told AFP.
Copenhagen constabulary said they were cooperating with colleagues successful Oslo aft drone sightings besides caused the airdrome successful the Norwegian superior to adjacent for respective hours.
"We had 2 antithetic drone sightings," Oslo airdrome spokeswoman Monica Fasting told AFP.
"We reopened the airdrome astir 3:15 americium (0115 GMT)," she said.
A full of 14 flights were diverted from Oslo airport, she said.
Norway's authorities connected Tuesday (September 23, 2025) said Russia had violated its airspace 3 times this year, successful April, July and August.
Police person yet to remark connected the incident, but the country's quality work PST confirmed its engagement successful the investigation.
"PST is, arsenic is customary, successful interaction with the applicable parties, some nationally and internationally," bureau authoritative Eirik Veum told AFP.
Separately, a Singaporean mates successful their 50s and 60s was arrested precocious Monday suspected of illegally flying a drone successful cardinal Oslo.
"The lawsuit is astatine an aboriginal stage, but astatine this point, we person nary crushed to fishy that this incidental is connected to the drone sightings astatine Oslo oregon Copenhagen airports," authoritative Andre Kvistad Alme said.
