Russian warship spotted near Denmark after drone incident
Illustrative photo: Russian Navy ship (Getty Images)
A Russian military ship was spotted in the waters near Denmark. The vessel was detected at a time when unknown drones were circling over the country's airports and military facilities, Ekstra Bladet reports.
Journalists spotted and photographed the ship using a specially rented helicopter.
The Alexander Shabalin is based in the Kaliningrad region and has been near Denmark for the past few days, just 12 km from the country's coast.
Shipping monitoring systems were unable to detect the Russian Navy ship because its automatic identification system (AIS) signal was turned off.
Journalists filmed the ship from a helicopter, identifying it by its number 110 and characteristic armament - automatic cannons, anti-aircraft guns, and missile launchers.
Russian sailors were spotted on board, observing and possibly photographing the journalists.
Denmark began discussing the possibility of locating a drone base on this ship after unknown drones violated the country's airspace.
Analysts also suggest that the ship could have been coordinating the actions of the shadow fleet or acting as an observation point.
According to Ekstra Bladet, the Danish armed forces were aware of the presence of a Russian military ship off the coast of Langeland Island, but have not yet commented on the situation.
The distance from the island to the sites affected by the drone incidents ranges from 70 to 270 kilometers.
After filming from a helicopter, the ship headed northeast, but its further course is unknown due to the AIS signal being turned off.
Drones over Denmark
On September 22, unknown drones violated Danish airspace. Airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were blocked.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not rule out a Russian trace in the drone provocations.
On September 25, unknown drones were again spotted over Denmark, particularly near military facilities. Due to the emergency, Aalborg Airport in the north of the country was temporarily closed.
The Danish government called the reappearance of unknown drones over the country a hybrid attack.
