Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Monday that it is probable that Russia is behind the unusual drone activity observed over multiple Scandinavian airports prior to an EU summit in Copenhagen.
Since September 22, there have been numerous reports of drone sightings primarily in Norway and Denmark, leading to the closure of several airports in the region.
In an interview with TV4, Kristersson expressed that “the chance of this indicating an attempt by Russia to convey a message to nations backing Ukraine is quite substantial,” while emphasizing that “nobody truly knows for certain.”
He noted that “we have evidence” linking the drones that entered Polish airspace earlier in September to Russia.
“Everything suggests it’s [Russia], but all nations are cautious about pinpointing a specific country unless they are confident. In the case of Poland, we are certain of the culprit,” he remarked.
Additional drone activity was reported over Danish military installations on Saturday night for the second consecutive day.
Copenhagen is set to host an EU summit on Wednesday and Thursday.
To enhance safety around the event, Denmark announced on Sunday that it would be closing its airspace to all civilian drone operations until Friday, to prevent military drones from being mistaken for legitimate ones.
Violating this airspace restriction could lead to fines or imprisonment for up to two years.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated this week that “there is one primary nation that endangers Europe’s security, and that is Russia.”
In response, Moscow has “strongly rejected” any claims of its involvement.
The series of drone sightings follows recent incursions in Polish and Romanian airspace and a violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets, which have escalated tensions in the context of Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine.
NATO has indicated that it has increased its vigilance in the Baltic region in light of these intrusions.
