NATO to beef up Baltic presence after Russian drone incidents in Denmark

What preceded this

On Saturday, Denmark’s armed forces reported that unidentified drones had been spotted overnight near the country’s military facilities.

This incident followed several drone incursions earlier in the week near airports and critical infrastructure sites in Denmark.

On Monday evening, Copenhagen Airport, the busiest in Northern Europe, was closed for several hours after multiple large drones were spotted in the airspace above the facility. In the following days, five smaller Danish airports, both civilian and military, were also temporarily closed.

NATO’s response

In reaction to these incidents, the Alliance stated that it will conduct even more enhanced vigilance using new multi-domain forces and assets in the Baltic Sea region.

NATO specified that the new assets will include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms, as well as at least one air defense frigate.

A NATO representative added that the Alliance will not disclose which countries will contribute additional forces and assets.

Reuters reports that these new capabilities will strengthen NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission, launched in January this year in response to a series of incidents that damaged power cables, telecommunications lines, and gas pipelines on the Baltic seabed.

NATO countries have deployed frigates, patrol aircraft, and maritime drones in this mission to protect critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy’s version

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday stated that the Kremlin is using its drone provocations to test Europe’s response and aims to weaken support for Kyiv.

According to him, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin plans to open a new front of hostilities even before the war in Ukraine is concluded.