COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s protection ministry mentioned Sunday that it had once more noticed drones at a number of of its armed forces’ places in a single day, a day after the NATO alliance introduced that it might improve its vigilance within the Baltic Sea area.
The ministry mentioned in an announcement that it had “a number of capacities deployed” after drone sightings from Saturday into Sunday night time. It did not supply any additional particulars concerning the specifics of the deployment, the variety of drones or places.
That is the most recent unexplained drone exercise after a number of sightings, together with over 5 Danish airports final week, elevating issues about safety in northern Europe amid suspected rising Russian aggression.
Following a NATO assembly in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday, Col. Martin O’Donnell, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe spokesperson, introduced that “we’ll conduct much more enhanced vigilance with new multi-domain property within the Baltic Sea area, which incorporates Denmark, underneath Baltic Sentry.”
He additionally mentioned that NATO leaders have been in fixed contact with Danish officers following the drone sightings.
As Denmark gears up for the upcoming European Union Summit in Copenhagen, the Danish transportation ministry mentioned Sunday that “all civilian drone flying in Danish airspace might be prohibited” from Monday to Friday to “take away the danger that enemy drones might be confused with authorized drones and vice versa.”
“We can not settle for that international drones create uncertainty and disturbances in society, as we now have skilled not too long ago. On the similar time, Denmark will host EU leaders within the coming week, the place we can have additional deal with safety,” Danish transportation minister Thomas Danielsen mentioned in an announcement.
“A violation of the prohibition may end up in a tremendous or imprisonment for as much as two years,” in accordance with the assertion.
The prohibition doesn’t apply to navy drone flights, drones utilized by state aviation, together with police and emergency drone operations, in addition to municipal and regional emergency and health-related drone operations.
On Sunday afternoon, the Danish protection ministry introduced that the German air protection frigate, FSG Hamburg, had arrived in Copenhagen.
“Right here, the ship will contribute to strengthening Denmark’s surveillance of the airspace in reference to the upcoming EU summit in Copenhagen,” the ministry mentioned in an announcement. “The German frigate is a part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry exercise, which is meant to strengthen NATO’s presence alongside the alliance’s japanese flank.”
Individually, Germany mentioned that following a request from Denmark, its armed forces would supply navy assist for the upcoming EU summit via “Counter-small Unmanned Plane Techniques capabilities,” often known as C-sUAS, that are detection methods that use radar, optical and acoustics applied sciences.
Sweden had already introduced earlier that it might “lend Denmark a navy anti-drone functionality” with out giving additional particulars.
Tensions have been working excessive in Denmark in current days following stories of drone exercise, and a whole bunch of doable sightings reported by involved residents that couldn’t formally be confirmed. Nonetheless, the general public has been requested to report all suspicious exercise to the police.
Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard mentioned on Sept. 25 that the objective of the flyovers is to sow concern and division, including that the nation will search extra methods to neutralize drones, together with proposing laws to permit infrastructure house owners to shoot them down.
Whereas it is not clear who’s behind the drone exercise, Denmark’s prime minister and NATO’s secretary-general mentioned final week that Russian involvement couldn’t be dominated out.
The Russian Embassy in Denmark final week rejected claims of Moscow’s involvement within the incidents.
Chatting with Russian media in feedback launched Sunday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko mentioned that any try by NATO to shoot down Russian or Belarusian plane can be met with an “speedy response.”
“Allow them to strive, allow them to shoot. Or they’ll shoot down one thing Russian over Kaliningrad. Then, after all, we’ll must struggle, as they are saying in Russia, with all we’ve received. Is that essential? No,” he mentioned, asking whether or not NATO would shoot down his helicopter when flying near the Polish border.
The discharge of Lukashenko’s feedback got here after Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov informed the U.N. Basic Meeting on Saturday that his nation doesn’t intend to assault Europe, however will mount a “decisive response” to any aggression.
“I feel individuals will very a lot remorse in the event that they commit essentially the most flagrant violation of our territorial integrity and territorial sovereignty,” Lavrov mentioned, together with “makes an attempt to shoot down … any object basically over our territory, in our airspace.”
