Nancie Wiers
Vladimir Putin taunted the West yesterday as a fleet of drones caused Danish airports to close, and Germany warned that its satellites were being shadowed.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov accused Nato and the EU of declaring war on Russia after Copenhagen blamed a ‘state actor’ for a second night of drone incursions.
The flights, thought to have been launched from a vessel in the North Sea, came after Russian incursions into Polish, Estonian and Romanian airspace in recent weeks.
The drones flew towards Aalborg and Billund airports and bases where Danish F-16 and F-35 warplanes are based.
The Danish government decided against shooting down the drones over fears stray ordnance could injure people.
Drones flew over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday, an instance of unexplained drone activity that raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid growing Russian aggression.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said there have now been fresh reports of drone sightings at Aalborg in Denmark early on Friday morning.
Flight Kl1289 returned to Amsterdam and flight SK1225 from Copenhagen was cancelled, FlightRadar24 said in a post on X.
Danish media last night revealed that a Russian Navy Ropucha-class landing ship, the Aleksandr Shabalin, had been spotted lurking off the southern coast of the Baltic Sea island of Langeland with its AIS transponder, which lets others see your vessel’s identity and position, switched off.
The ship is a favourite of Putin’s to send a message, having previously been tracked through the English Channel.
The drone incursions may have been a tit-for-tat move after Denmark’s decision to reduce its orders of Russian oil. Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said Denmark had informed its allies the drone incursions were ‘state activity’. But last night Russia said speculation that it was responsible was ‘absurd’.
Denmark increased security around critical infrastructure sites yesterday as preparations continued for Copenhagen to host a meeting of EU leaders next week. And last night its government was considering Nato Article 4 consultations with its allies to calculate a collective response.
Meanwhile, Germany warned that its satellites are being followed by Kremlin counterparts.
Defence minister Boris Pistorius said two Russian Luch/Olymp satellites were shadowing Intelsat hardware used by the German armed forces.
Speaking at a Berlin space conference yesterday, he said: ‘Russia and China have expanded their capabilities for warfare in space rapidly in recent years.
‘They can disrupt satellite operations, blind satellites, manipulate or kinetically destroy them.’
The drones are part of what Nato officials see as a pattern of Kremlin disruption intended to pressure Ukraine’s allies into agreeing a settlement to the conflict on its terms. Nato partners are today due to discuss plans for a ‘drone wall’.
Drones were also sighted near the Esbjerg and Sonderborg airports, the Skrydstrup airbase and a military facility in Holstebro, all in the western Jutland region. Civil rescue company Esvagt said drones were seen flying over the North Sea and may have been launched from a vessel in those waters.
Meanwhile, the Royal Tank Regiment has been sent to Estonia to join French and Estonian forces in defending Nato’s eastern flank. Nato is forced to respond to each Russian incursion by moving around troops and military hardware.
While careful not to directly accuse a specific country, Danish intelligence officials said 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 last night.
Speaking before the latest drone sightings in Denmark, French President Emmanuel Macron argued that NATO nations would have to react ‘more strongly’ to Russian incursions. He didn’t detail the potential response.
‘We cannot allow the idea to take root that Poland, Estonia, Romania are in a weak situation because the next step would be Germany and then us,’ Macron said in an interview with broadcasters France 24 and RFI.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
