In a theatrical upsurge in the European perception of security that said unexpected rifles across the European continent, Denmark has banned all civilian drones nationwide, the first of its kind, following a week of perplexing and organized drone sightings at numerous military installations and airports, nations locally firing direct accusations at Russia as the key aggressor in the European safety with Danish authorities rushing to safeguard a high-stakes EU summit.
The technological weakness of NATO to hybrid warfare was revealed
The reported sighting of drones across various military locations during the night on Saturday has led Denmark to prohibit civilian drones in its airspace before a European Union Summit. The Nordic nation has been on alert after a series of unmanned aircraft mishaps within the last week that have resulted in the closure of some of its airports. The ban would continue from Monday through Friday of next week, when Denmark will be hosting European leaders.
The airport in Copenhagen was closed on Monday for a number of hours after they spotted several large drones over the airport. On the following days, 5 additional smaller Dan-Agron civilian and military airports were temporarily closed. The Danish transportation ministry announced that it will ban all civilian drone flights in Danish airspace to eliminate the possibility of confusion with legal service drones.
According to a statement of the Danish Minister of Transport, Thomas Danielsen, we simply cannot tolerate the fact that foreign drones breed uncertainties and disturbances within society. Denmark has referred to the drones as a hybrid attack. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has indicated that it might be Moscow, referencing Russia as the chief threat to the security of Europe. The Kremlin denies blame. Last week, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the role of Russia could not be negated.
Why is this EU summit so critical for defense in Europe?
On Wednesday, European leaders will flock to Copenhagen to attend a European Council meeting on defense and Ukraine, after which there will be a European Political Community summit. Denmark will host EU leaders on Wednesday, and on Thursday, the broader 47-member European Political Community, instituted to integrate the EU with other European allies to Russia when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, will hold a summit.
Reacting to the unknown drone flights in Denmark, NATO indicated on Saturday that it is improving its defence in the Baltic Sea. A German naval vessel (FSG Hamburg), on board the NATO mission Baltic Sentry, went to Copenhagen to assist in enhancing airspace surveillance. In Denmark, a temporary joint task force was established by the armed forces of France, consisting of 35 troops, a Fennec helicopter, and an anti-drone camp.
Why is Europe confronted with the increasing trend of Russian hybrid warfare?
In recent weeks, Europe has been on edge following a series of drone sightings and also Russian drone intrusions into NATO airspace in Poland and Romania. On Monday, Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu announced that a second drone had been detected near the border of his country with Ukraine. Mosteanu told a panel at the Warsaw Security Forum that another Russian drone crashed down on our territory in the Danube Delta.
In a move to counter the drones, Germany agreed to deliver their Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems at the request of Denmark to sense them through radar, optical, and acoustic. Sweden has also committed to lend Denmark an anti-drone system. The cross-border integration of drone attacks on several NATO member countries should be viewed as a threatening escalation of hybrid warfare strategies, and European leaders have no choice but to face the fact that the old system of defense can be insufficient against the new advanced threats.