The Ukrainian military is sharing its expertise in fighting Russian drones with European countries, sending a mission to Denmark for joint exercises, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
“Our group of specialists has begun deploying a mission in Denmark to share Ukraine’s experience in countering drones,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
European defence ministers agreed last week to build what they called a “drone wall” along their borders with Russia and Ukraine to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.
Europe’s readiness and technology are lagging far behind Ukraine and Russia as cutting-edge drone warfare has become a hallmark of the three-year war since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“Ukraine’s experience is the most relevant in Europe today, and it is precisely our expertise, our specialists, and our technologies that can become a key element of future Europe’s Drone Wall – a large-scale project that will guarantee security in the skies,” Zelenskyy said.
Airspace violations
In recent days, Denmark has reported drone sightings at military facilities and over the country’s airports.
Unidentified drone activity was reported at the Skrydstrup Air Base and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment base overnight into Saturday, as well as above the Karup Air Base, the country’s biggest such military facility.
Those sightings came just days after similar incidents forced the closure of some of Denmark’s airports.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident that forced the closure of Copenhagen Airport “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date”.
Danish intelligence officials, though careful not to directly accuse a specific country, said they regarded the risk of Russian espionage and sabotage in Denmark as high.
Poland has also turned to Ukraine for expertise after Russian drones entered Polish airspace.
“The results of the mission in Denmark will shape the framework for cooperation with other European countries as well,” Zelenskyy said.
The NATO military alliance is troubled, too, by European airspace violations by Russian warplanes that are further straining relations with Moscow and fuelling fears that the fighting could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal said earlier this month that the government had requested NATO Article 4 consultations with the alliance’s allies following an airspace violation by Russian jets.
“This morning, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace. NATO fighters responded, and the Russian planes were forced to flee,” Michal wrote in a post on X on 19 September.
“Such violation is totally unacceptable.”
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the jets entered Estonian airspace and lingered over the Gulf of Finland for 12 minutes.
No progress in peace process
At the same time, there is uncertainty about peace negotiations that were set in motion by the United States months ago but appear to be making no headway.
Ahead of two summits in the Danish capital Copenhagen this week, NATO is stepping up aerial surveillance in the Baltic Sea, while France, Germany and Sweden are bolstering Denmark’s air defences.
Denmark also said it was banning all civilian drone flights from Monday to Friday, to “remove the risk that enemy drones can be confused with legal drones and vice versa,” the Danish transportation ministry said on Sunday.
“We cannot accept that foreign drones create uncertainty and disturbances in society, as we have experienced recently,” Danish Transportation Minister Thomas Danielsen said in a statement.
“At the same time, Denmark will host EU leaders in the coming week, where we will have extra focus on security,” Danielsen added.
Additional sources • AP