NATO must further coordinate as confrontation between Europe, Russia escalates, Denmark's Frederiksen says
NATO must coordinate a common response to Moscow as a hybrid war between Russia and Europe is only beginning, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the Financial Times in an interview published Oct. 1.
"The idea of a hybrid war is to threaten us, to divide us, to destabilise us. To use drones one day, cyberattacks the next day, sabotage on the third day. So this will not end only by (boosting) capabilities," she said.
Unidentified drones violated Danish airspace and prompted airport closures several times last week. As investigations continue, Danish authorities have not ruled out that the drones could be Russian.
Frederiksen noted that as Denmark and Europe face drones violating their airspace, the continent's "primary enemy" is Russia.
Increasing defense spending on cyber defense and anti-drone equipment is not enough amid Russia's increasing escalations, she noted.
"We need to be very open about (the fact) that it probably is only the beginning," Frederiksen said. "We need all Europeans to understand what is at stake and what’s going on. When there are drones or cyberattacks, the idea is to divide us."
In response to the airspace violations, Ukrainian military specialists have arrived in Denmark to take part in joint counter-drone exercises, officials said Sept. 29.
Drones have also caused disruptions in several European countries, including Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands.
Amid the airspace violations, Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" has been suspected of launching drones over European territory.
The French military boarded a Russian vessel suspected of launching drones, the Guardian reported Oct. 1.
The ship was intercepted by the French Navy on Sept. 28 and diverted to the coast of Western France while investigations continue.
An investigation of the ship is ongoing following the crew's "failure to justify the nationality of the vessel" and "refusal to cooperate," French authorities said.
Moscow uses the fleet of tankers to evade Western sanctions on Russian oil. The Kremlin is also using the fleet to "launch and control" Russian drones over European cities, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 28, citing intelligence reports.
Meanwhile, drones spotted last week over the city of Kiel and other parts of Germany’s northern Schleswig-Holstein state may have been spying on critical infrastructure, Der Spiegel reported on Oct. 1, citing its undisclosed sources.
Alexandra Brzozowski
