The head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, warned that Russia aims to paralyze air travel in select European countries using drones, and such attempts will escalate if left unchecked.
“The goal of the Russians is to paralyze air travel in certain European countries with their drones. If there is no response, they will try to increase these attempts,” Kovalenko wrote on his Telegram channel Friday.
He added that Russia wants to fuel the perception among Europeans that supporting Ukraine is harmful, while boosting the position of politicians favoring renewed cooperation with Moscow.
He emphasized that ignoring the threat is a misconception.
“Russia’s aim is a dependent Europe, a return to its Soviet-era sphere of influence. Behind Russia stands China, interested in a ‘China-oriented Europe.’ For Europe, there is no alternative but to respond and act symmetrically against Russia. It is only a matter of time,” he said.
Recent incidents illustrate the risk. Over the past week, Danish airports in Copenhagen and Aalborg were closed twice due to drones in the airspace. On the night of September 24–25, Aalborg Airport in northern Denmark was shut after drones were spotted.
On September 22, police in Denmark and Norway reported drone incidents in Copenhagen and Oslo. In Copenhagen, operations at the main Kastrup Airport were fully halted after two or three large drones appeared. At least 35 flights were diverted, passenger planes circled in the air, and one made an emergency landing due to fuel shortage. The airport reopened around 1 a.m., after roughly four hours of closure.
In Oslo, drones were detected over the Akershus fortress military site, leading to the detention of two Singaporean nationals. Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport was also fully closed after repeated drone sightings.
Sweden’s Malmö airspace also saw drone activity on September 22, coinciding with Denmark’s temporary airspace closure.
