NATO will strengthen the "Baltic Watch" mission in the Baltic Sea after the discovery of unmanned aerial vehicles in Danish airspace that disrupted the work of airports, "Reuters" wrote. The agency cited a statement from the Alliance.
In response to the drone activity, NATO "will increase its attention and activate new multi-domain assets in the Baltic Sea region". The measures will include "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, as well as at least one air defense frigate".
On the evening of September 26, one or two drones were spotted near the Karup air base in Denmark, where armed forces helicopters, airspace surveillance services and a flight school are located. The Danish Ministry of Defense also reported drones over military sites, but did not provide details.
Drones were also spotted over Copenhagen on the evening of September 22. As a result, operations at the capital's airport were suspended for three hours, which led to the cancellation and delay of about a hundred flights. Danish authorities were unable to establish the origin of the drones. That evening, several drones appeared over military sites in Oslo.
On the night of September 25, the airspace over Aalborg was closed due to an unauthorized drone flight. Two flights returned to Copenhagen, after which the airport resumed operations.
The head of the national police, Torkild Fogde, noted that "the actions of the drones are analogous to those that stopped air traffic in Copenhagen." The drones were later spotted near three other airports.
The Russian embassy in Denmark described the disruptions in airport operations as a "staged provocation."
In early 2025, NATO also launched the "Baltic Guard" mission to protect the critical infrastructure of the alliance's member states in the Baltic region, such as data and energy cables, gas pipelines and offshore wind farms. It includes frigates, patrol aircraft and a small fleet of naval drones.
The Kremlin called the accusations against Russia of damaging undersea cables groundless and absurd.