Danish airspace to close for drones amid security concerns

Denmark will impose a blanket ban on civilian drone flights ahead of a visit by European leaders to Copenhagen next week.

Thomas Danielsen, Denmark’s transport minister, announced on Sunday that the country’s airspace would be closed between Monday and Friday.

EU government heads are due to arrive on Wednesday to discuss alleged Russian incursions into European airspace.

Drones were spotted at several military facilities overnight on Saturday in Denmark, following a week in which drone sorties caused the temporary closures of several Danish airports.

Drone attacks and other airspace violations have also been reported by Estonia, Poland and Norway.

Denmark has called the drones part of a “hybrid attack” but stopped short of saying definitively who it believes is responsible.

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister, has suggested it could be Russia, the primary “country that poses a threat to European security”. The Kremlin denies the claim.

Mr. Danielsen said the measure to close its airspace would remove the risk of “enemy drones being confused with legal drones and vice versa”.

Violating the ban could result in fines or even prison sentences of up to two years, the ministry warned.

Denmark has been one of the most strident supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion and has also taken major efforts to strengthen its own military capabilities.

On Friday evening, at least one drone was spotted over Air Base Karup, Denmark’s largest facility.

It was one of several unexplained drone activities across Denmark since Sept 22.

The country’s main international air hub, Copenhagen airport, was closed for several hours last Monday after drones were sighted nearby.

Volodymyr Zelenksy, Ukraine’s president, said the sightings in Europe were part of the Kremlin’s strategy to check Europe’s protection of its skies.

In Norway, the defence ministry said that drones had “probably” been seen flying for around an hour near Ørland air base, though confirmation is pending.

In northern Germany, swarms of drones were reported over Schleswig-Holstein late on Friday, prompting a police investigation.

British-made aircraft will be deployed to create a “drone wall” to protect NATO from Russian aggression, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said on Saturday.

Drone incursions have led Berlin to plan new legislation that will allow the German army to shoot the unmanned aircraft out of the sky.

Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s interior minister, said the threat posed by drones was high and that the army would be allowed to shoot them down if they posed a critical threat to infrastructure.