Danish defense ministry reports renewed drone sightings at military facilities

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The Danish defense ministry said Saturday that drones were observed at several defense facilities overnight Friday into Saturday, marking a renewed wave of drone activity after earlier sightings this week that briefly disrupted some Danish airports. The ministry did not specify locations, but the episodes have heightened concern about security in northern Europe amid suspected expanding Russian aggression.

Danish officials said the drones were detected near or above key sites, with local outlets reporting activity around Karup Air Base in central Jutland. Simon Skelkjær, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police, told DR that drones were in the air both inside and outside the air base fence around 8 p.m., and that at times the airspace was closed to civil traffic. There is currently no civil aviation at Karup, which limits practical disruption, but the incidents have fed worries about the robustness of airspace and critical infrastructure networks.

The renewed activity comes after several drone sightings across Denmark earlier in the week, including a wave that temporarily shut down multiple Danish airports. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said the flyovers appear designed to sow fear and division, and he announced that the government would pursue additional measures to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation that would allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down. In a separate move ahead of next week’s European Union summit, the government confirmed that Denmark had accepted an offer from Sweden to lend a military anti-drone capability, though details were not provided.

The drone incidents have also spilled across neighboring Germany. In Schleswig-Holstein, authorities reported drones in the northern German state from Thursday into Friday night as the region grapples with heightened drone activity and ongoing investigations, according to local and federal reporting.

Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s successor, Friedrich Merz, addressed concerns about infrastructure and data-security attacks, saying that while Germany is not at war, it is not living in peaceful times either. He cited drone flights, espionage, the Tiergarten murder and other sabotage as evidence of a broader threat landscape facing European countries.

The Tiergarten murder refers to the 2019 killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian national who fought Russian forces in Chechnya and later sought asylum in Germany. The suspect, Vadim Krasikov, was convicted in Germany and was returned to Russia as part of a broader prisoner swap in 2024. The case has colored officials’ warnings about security and foreign interference.

Officials caution that investigations remain active as authorities assess the sources and intent behind the drone activity. Denmark has signaled ongoing efforts to strengthen anti-drone capabilities and coordinate with neighboring countries to address what officials describe as a regional security challenge.