Key Points and Summary – Unidentified drones triggered a full shutdown of Copenhagen Airport on Sept. 22, diverting at least 15 flights as Danish armed forces were activated.
-Police said multiple large drones—possibly akin to Shahed-sized systems—were flown by a “capable operator,” with no signs of hostile intent.
-Hours later in Oslo, drones appeared over the Akershus fortress, prompting arrests of two foreign nationals with Singapore passports; Oslo Airport later reopened.
-The incidents follow recent Russian drone and aircraft violations over Poland, Romania, and Estonia. Poland warned it may shoot down threats, while NATO unveiled “Eastern Sentinel” to bolster the alliance’s eastern airspace deterrence.
Drones Keep Flying All over NATO Airspace
Unidentified drones were detected Sept. 22 flying over Denmark and Norway. Air traffic was shut down at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark’s largest airport, and all flights were suspended, after multiple drones were spotted nearby.
Copenhagen Airport spokesperson Lise Agerli Kjurstein confirmed that the airspace was closed around 8:30 p.m. because of the sighting.
The BBC reported Danish police could not confirm the type or number of drones seen around Copenhagen Airport. But reporters the next morning were told the drones were likely flown by a “capable operator” who wanted to “show off.”
Police confirmed that Danish armed forces were activated in response to the incident, but added there was nothing about how the drones were being flown that would indicate harmful intent.
According to Reuters, two to four large drones were observed in the area, with reports indicating a vehicle at least as large as Russia’s Iran-designed Shahed models. Most inbound flights at the time were diverted to other Danish airports, such as the Billund and Aarhus airports. Flights were also diverted to Malmö and Gothenburg airports in Sweden.
Naviair, which manages air traffic for the airport authority, made the decision to suspend all flights. According to a spokesperson for the company, a police investigation is ongoing.
“It is clear that we are keen for this to be resolved as quickly as possible and for the drones to be gone so that we can resume normal operations,” the airport spokesperson said. FlightRadar reports posted on X indicated at least 15 flights being diverted to other airports. A spokesperson for the airport also confirmed the suspension of all air traffic but declined to offer any additional comment.
Meanwhile in Oslo…
In Oslo, two persons were arrested under suspicion of being connected with the events, according to Aftonbladet and Reuters. Aftonbladet provided the update not long after the Copenhagen story broke.
Inbound flights were also being diverted from Oslo Gardermoen Airport in Norway. But it turned out that it was not only the airport that the drones were buzzing. Shortly after 9 p.m., an alarm sounded after drones were spotted above a military area – specifically the Akershus fortress in Oslo.
The two persons detained by Norwegian police are reportedly foreign nationals carrying passports from Singapore. That has sparked speculation of Moscow’s involvement, due to Singapore’s growing population of Russian expatriates. For a number of years, Russian entities have been found to be using Singapore as a hub to conduct illegal trade, including oil deals, with North Korea.
The Akershus Fortress houses the headquarters of the Norwegian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense, according to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.
Police operations chief Øyvind Hammersvold confirmed the appearance of drones in the military zone and added that the military was first to detect them. The involvement of Singaporean nationals in the incident is currently being investigated by law enforcement agencies.
At around 4:30 a.m., a police spokesperson said Oslo Airport had been reopened.
A Growing List of Violations
The source and model of the drones is not known, but the incident follows a number of airspace violations by Russian drones over Poland and Romania.
Further, last weekend, three Russian Mikoyan MiG-31s violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland. According to Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, the NATO member-nation is initiating consultations under Article 4 of NATO.
Tsahkna stated that the incursion of Russian military aircraft into Estonian airspace is bringing the Baltic countries closer to armed conflict with Moscow. It is the fourth violation of Estonian airspace by Russia this year.
At the same time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that his country would not hesitate to shoot down any objects – manned or unmanned – that violate its airspace and pose any kind of threat. He did add that Poland would exercise caution.
After a previous violation of Polish airspace by as many as 24 Russian drones earlier last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the “Eastern Sentinel” program, aimed at deterring further Russian incursions and demonstrating solidarity with Poland.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson has thirty-six years of experience analyzing and reporting on foreign weapons systems, defense technologies, and international arms export policy. Johnson is the Director of Research at the Casimir Pulaski Foundation. He is also a survivor of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He worked for years in the American defense industry as a foreign technology analyst and later as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Departments of the Navy and Air Force, and the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia. In 2022-2023, he won two awards in a row for his defense reporting. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, specializing in Soviet and Russian studies. He lives in Warsaw.
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Jim
September 24, 2025 at 12:43 pm
I sense the furthering of a narrative, a building of series of events, designed to frame the story. And, start the talking with assumed facts, that give the story weight and hopefully a nodding acceptance from its targeted audience, as they are who the story is designed for.
But, in all this, no proof where all these drones came from, just innuendo substituting for actual evidence.
Just as easy, one can state everything reported herein, can be attributed to a false flag campaign, is it MI6, Ukraine operators, like Nordstream, or even the C. I. A.? We don’t know. (We all know everyone above is capable of it.)
Decoy drones or dummy drones made out of plastic & styrofoam lacking a warhead drop to the ground when their fuel is spent in Ukraine and can be accumulated over time, refurbished and reused, also, given the seriousness of the situation, Western ‘look-alike’ drones could easily be produced. We don’t know.
Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.
Forces in the West want to ramp up tension.
Peter crying wolf one too many times could also result (but they think they can swing it and deceive their audience, anyhow).
And, they’ll go to great lengths to do that.
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