NATO bolsters Baltic Sea mission after drone activity in Denmark

NATO has announced reinforcements to its Baltic Sea mission, including an air-defence frigate, after unidentified drones entered Danish airspace near key sites.

Denmark has reported a series of drone incidents this week, prompting NATO to strengthen its operations in the Baltic Sea. The Danish Armed Forces said drones were spotted overnight near military facilities, following earlier sightings around airports and key infrastructure.

Copenhagen Airport, the busiest in the Nordic region, was forced to shut down for several hours on Monday when large drones were seen in its airspace. In the days that followed, five smaller airports, both civilian and military, were also temporarily closed.

In response, NATO announced that it would increase "vigilance with new multi-domain assets," including reconnaissance systems and at least one air-defence frigate. The alliance did not specify which member states are providing the reinforcements.

The upgrade expands the "Baltic Sentry" mission, which was launched in January after repeated damage to undersea energy and telecom infrastructure in the region. Member states have already deployed frigates, naval drones and patrol aircraft to protect vital assets.

NATO has also recently set up the "Eastern Sentry" mission to strengthen Europe’s eastern flank after Russian drones entered Polish airspace. Tensions escalated further when Estonia accused three Russian MiG-31 jets of violating its airspace before being intercepted by Italian NATO fighters — a charge Moscow has denied.

Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has warned that the risk posed by drones remains "high." At the same time, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cautioned NATO and the EU that "any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response."

Copied