Drone Fear: Four Armies Deployed to Guard European Leaders’ Summit in Copenhagen
The city of Copenhagen, and Denmark as a whole, has been turned into a fortress to secure the informal European Union summit scheduled for Wednesday.
Four European countries have sent military reinforcements to Copenhagen ahead of the meeting, following flights of unidentified drones that disrupted air traffic a few days ago. Danish authorities claim the drones were of Russian origin.
The United States also deployed anti-drone equipment to Denmark, which is hosting the European summit on October 1–2, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday. “We are pleased and grateful that the United States is supporting Denmark with counter-drone capabilities for the upcoming summit,” the ministry said on X.
Unidentified drones had recently flown over several airports, temporarily closing the capital’s airport and affecting military installations. However, no further incidents have been recorded since September 27.
Although the drones’ origin has not been officially confirmed, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused Russia, stating: “There is one major state that poses a threat to Europe’s security, and that is Russia.” Moscow has denied the allegations.
The summit, bringing together 40 heads of government, is being held in Copenhagen on Wednesday and Thursday. To ensure safety, Denmark announced Sunday that its airspace would be closed to civilian drones until Friday. On Tuesday, the country also raised the security level for energy facilities to “orange,” the second-highest alert level, in anticipation of hybrid attacks or sabotage.
Germany, France, and Sweden step in
As leaders meet, a German frigate is stationed in Copenhagen’s harbor, underscoring Europe’s heightened security stance. Germany will also send around 40 soldiers to detect, identify, and neutralize drones, with operations continuing until October 7.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed that Sweden would provide anti-drone systems and a limited number of radar units.
France, for its part, announced it would send a military helicopter and a 35-member team tasked with counter-drone operations.
