Danish officials believe drone flyovers at 4 airports are meant to sow fear and division

Drones flew over four Danish airports overnight Sept 24 into Sept 25, the latest instance of unexplained drone activity that has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid growing Russian aggression.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the incidents a “hybrid attack” because the flights all occurred within roughly the same timeframe. It was not immediately clear who was behind the incidents, but Lund Poulsen said that it appeared a “professional actor” was behind the “systematic” flights. While careful not to directly accuse a specific country, Danish intelligence officials reiterated that they estimate the risk of Russian espionage and sabotage in Denmark as high. “We have seen this in other parts of Europe, and we must also expect to see it in Denmark,” said Finn Borch, the head of the Danish Security Intelligence Service at a news conference Sept 25 night. The goal of the flyovers was to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday, adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down.
Flights were halted for several hours at Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark, which also serves as a military base. Drone sightings began shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday and ended just before 1 a.m. Thursday.
Three airports in Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Skrydstrup also were impacted. Skrydstrup is an air base that is home to some of the Danish military’s fighter jets.