Danish

While Danish intelligence does not see an immediate threat of a kinetic war, it claims Russia’s growing belligerence has included repeatedly threatening its warships and helicopters in Danish waters. These details are part of a new Danish intelligence threat assessment released Friday that concludes Russia is in a state of increasingly intense “hybrid war” with NATO. That is just below the threshold of armed conflict and comes at a time of mounting tensions between Moscow and the alliance.

“We have seen several incidents in the Danish straits, where Danish air force helicopters and naval vessels have been targeted by tracking radars and physically pointed at with weapons from Russian warships,” Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) Director Thomas Ahrenkiel stated at a press conference on Friday.

Russian warships had sailed on collision courses with Danish vessels during their passage through the straits, Ahrenkiel added. In addition, “a Russian warship has been anchored in Danish waters for over a week,” Reuters reported from the press conference. That suggested “possible interference from Moscow if Denmark tried to curb movements of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers used to circumvent Western sanctions on its oil exports imposed over its war with Ukraine.”

“Russia is using military force to try to intimidate Denmark and force it to abandon compliance with shipping rules in the Baltic Sea,” the Danish intelligence chief warned.

“Russia highly likely sees itself as being in conflict with the West, in which the hybrid means employed are kept below the threshold of armed conflict,” the report notes. “The DDIS assesses that Russia is currently conducting hybrid warfare against NATO and the West. It is highly likely that the hybrid threat from Russia against NATO will increase in the coming years.”

As examples, in addition to the aforementioned threats against its naval assets, Danish intelligence said that Russia “has deployed fighter jets to protect its shadow fleet as it carries Russian oil out of the Baltic Sea and has violated the airspace of NATO states with, for instance, fighter jets, helicopters and attack drones.” 

“The states that have been most affected by Russian airspace violations in recent months are Poland, Estonia, Finland, and Romania,” the report adds.

Russia’s hybrid war with NATO countries goes far beyond these measures, with accusations of cyber attacks, clandestine sabotage operations, widespread GPS jamming and much more.

“Since the spring of 2025, Russia’s aggressive military behavior towards NATO countries has further intensified,” according to the assessment.

The purpose of this “aggressive military behavior” is to test “NATO members’ response capabilities and [cause] concern among member states that NATO is headed towards war with Russia.”

In addition, Danish intelligence states that the threat of continued Russian military provocations and cyber attacks against NATO is classified as “high,” meaning “there are one or more actors that have the capacity for and are specifically planning attacks/harmful activity or that have already carried out or attempted attacks/harmful activity.”

Despite all this, Danish intelligence states that for now, the threat of open warfare with Russia is classified as “none,” meaning “there are no signs of a threat. There are no actors with both the capacity and intention for attacks/harmful activity.”

Meanwhile, European officials are investigating whether the ongoing wave of reported mystery drone sightings over military installations and airports is part of the Russian hybrid warfare efforts Danish intelligence is warning about.

The latest reported incident took place over the Elsenborn military base in the East Cantons section of Belgium, on the border with Germany.

“A Belgian test aircraft designed to detect drones sighted a total of 15,” the Belgian VRT news outlet reported on Friday. “Drones were observed at various altitudes on both the Belgian and German sides of the base. Where the drones came from and who operated them is not yet clear. The Ministry of Defence is investigating the incident.”

We’ve reached out to the Belgian MoD for more details about this incident.

The night before, the Munich Airport was shut down for several hours after drones were spotted nearby, forcing the grounding of 17 flights and the diversion to other airports of another 15, Munich Airport officials explained. The airport resumed flights early Friday morning.

Before these latest incidents, several airports in Denmark and Norway were closed after drones were spotted, which leaders in Denmark characterized as an effort to sow fear in the country.

Concern about these incursions has been so high that a German Navy frigate and counter-drone equipment from several nations were rushed to Copenhagen to protect the skies during a meeting of European Union leaders.

In addition, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Bulkeley was deployed to the NATO Baltic Sentry operation, which has expanded from protecting critical undersea infrastructure to now defending against drones. It marks the first contribution of a U.S. Navy warship to that effort.

The recent Russian drone incursions into Poland and Romania and violations of Estonian airspace by three MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors have raised suspicions that Russia, which denies involvement, is behind this drone wave. However, there is no conclusive evidence, several European officials state.

“It’s possible,” that there is a Russian connection to the drone incursions, “but there are currently no concrete indications,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said. “That needs to be investigated. Personally, I think these drones are very often an example of a hybrid threat. This is a way to sow unrest. That has been Russia’s pattern for many years.”

Amid the accusations and suspicions, Russian President Vladimir Putin joked about drone incursions.

“Oh, you know, I think we’ve had enough fun with drones for now,” he joshed. “’I won’t do it anymore. I won’t go to France, Denmark or Copenhagen anymore. Where else do they fly?”

As we have explained in the past, it is quite possible that many, if not most of these sightings are mistaken identity. It is a pattern that emerged last year when thousands of people claimed to see drones in the New Jersey region of the U.S. The overwhelming majority of those sightings were airplanes, planets and other benign objects in the sky.

Still, just like in the New Jersey case, we do know that a limited number of the sightings over military bases were confirmed by the government. The reality is that these drone incursions over critical facilities in Europe have been happening for years, but just how much it has exploded in recent weeks is blurred by media reports and sightings not supported by independent analysis or corroborated by sensor data.

Regardless, the drone incursion reports have rattled Europe, especially given that some had to be shot down amid an ongoing brutal war in Ukraine that is spilling over borders more frequently. That this comes as European officials are accusing Moscow of engaging in hybrid warfare speaks to the importance of finding the source of these objects.

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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that Europe must arm itself to respond to Russia’s hybrid warfare.

“I hope that everybody recognises now that there is a hybrid war and one day it’s Poland, the other day it’s Denmark, and next week it will probably be somewhere else that we see sabotage or we see drones flying,” Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday.

She was hosting a summit of European leaders as they discussed joint efforts for better deterrence and defence.

French President Emmanuel Macron was also on hand and urged the European Union to proceed with caution in its current confrontation with Russia.

“I think we all have to be very cautious because we are in a time of confrontation with a lot of hybridity,” Macron said on Wednesday on the sidelines of the summit in Copenhagen.

“This is why we have to be strong to deter any aggressions, but we have to remain very cautious and avoid any escalation,” he added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also warned against overreacting.

“Despite everything, I think we have to think calmly. I think we shouldn’t respond to provocations. We have to equip ourselves, that certainly is true,” she said.

Hybrid warfare involves the use of conventional methods, such as tanks and missiles, as well as nonconventional ones, such as cyberattacks and internet disinformation.

Russia has been “a very aggressive player” for several years, the French president said, citing cyberattacks during elections, its war against Ukraine, the use of nuclear threats and recent airspace violations.

The heads of state and prime ministers of the EU countries were meeting in Denmark’s capital following a series of drone incidents near the country’s airports and military bases over the last week.

Before the meeting, a special radar system was set up at Copenhagen airport to help keep watch. Unidentified drones forced the closure of the airfield a week ago, causing major disruptions.

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK also sent aircraft, ships and air defence systems to Denmark in advance of the talks.

While the Danish authorities have not identified those believed to be responsible, Frederiksen said, “There is only one country that is willing to threaten us, and it is Russia, and therefore we need a very strong answer back.”

The Danish prime minister appealed for rearmament in the face of growing threats.

“I want us to rearm. I want us to buy more capabilities. I want us to innovate more, for example, on drones,” she said. “When I look at Europe today, I think we are in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the end of the second world war.”

Airspace violations

Serious airspace violations have been recorded in Europe over the last month, but not all nations in the bloc agree on how to respond.

After Russia was blamed for drone incursions into NATO members Poland and Romania, Macron last week said the alliance’s response would have to “go up a notch” in the case of “new provocations” from Moscow.

Macron did not rule out downing a Russian fighter jet if it were to breach European airspace.

“In accordance with the doctrine of strategic ambiguity, I can tell you that nothing is ruled out,” he said in an interview with German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Last month, Poland said it had shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace as Moscow launched a barrage against Ukraine, while Romania’s defence ministry said the country’s airspace had been breached by a drone during a Russian attack on infrastructure in neighbouring Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Macron also alleged that an oil tanker off the French coast had committed “very serious wrongdoings” and linked it to Russia’s shadow fleet, which is avoiding Western sanctions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The tanker was sailing off the coast of Denmark last week and was cited by European naval experts as possibly being involved in drone flights over the Nordic country.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leaders and intelligence services believed that Russia could mount an assault elsewhere in Europe in three to five years, and that President Vladimir Putin is intent on testing NATO amid doubts about US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the organisation.

Other defence experts, however, question the readiness of Russia’s military for another large-scale war.

Sept. 27 (UPI) — Denmark on Saturday reported more suspicious drones flying above its largest military base, the second time its airspace was violated this week after another group of drones grounded commercial flights days ago.

Finland, Germany and Lithuania on Saturday also reported sighting drones in their airspace, which follows reports from other NATO nations, including Estonia, Poland and Romania, that reported airspace violations.

In the latest incident, the BBC reported drones were observed above Karup airbase, forcing the nation’s military base to close airspace to commercial traffic. Drones were spotted flying over the country on Thursday near Skrydstrup air base, causing the closure of Aalborg Airport, as others were detected over the southern cities of Esbjerg and Sonderborg.

Additionally, on Saturday, Lithuania report that three drones were noticed near Vilnius, which delayed several commercial flights, Lithuanian broadcaster LRT reported, while Yle reported that a drone flew over the Valajasosky power plant in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has said that there is no evidence directly linking the aircraft to Russia, though there has been a significant rise in Russian violations of allied airspace, according to European leaders.

“There can be no doubt that everything points to this being the work of a professional actor when we are talking about such a systematic operation in so many locations at virtually the same time. This is what I would define as a hybrid attack using different types of drones,” Poulsen said Thursday after drones were spotted over the country.

In a separate incident, Danish authorities said a Russian warship was spotted near their waters with the tracking system off, the Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the allegations “unfounded.”

The Danish Defense Ministry confirmed that drones appeared near multiple military installations but did not specify which ones, according to the BBC. Denmark’s Defense Command, which did not disclose the number of drones it detected, told the Danish news outlet DR News that it deployed resources in response to the drone incursions.

Karup airbase is home to all of the Danish Armed Forces’ helicopters, airspace surveillance and parts of the Danish Defence Command.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, Denmark’s Copenhagen Airport also halted operations because of drone sightings, as did authorities Norway’s Oslo Airport.

Overnight Wednesday, the airspace above Aalborg Airport in northern Jutland was closed — several flights were cancelled and two inbound flights were diverted for about 1 hour — after police reported a drone, Danish broadcaster TV2 said.

German media also reported drone sightings on Friday night in Schleswig-Holstein, which is near the Danish border.

The incursions over NATO members’ borders have increased in the last few weeks after Poland shot down Russian drones violating its airspace on Sept. 10, which came at the same time as a massive strike on Ukraine at the same time. This was the first time NATO had engaged Russian assets over its territory since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Romania reported a similar violation on Sept. 13 and scrambled F-16s after detecting a Russian drone.

Three Russian MiG-31 jets later entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Sept. 19, which spurred Estonian leaders to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which allows any member of the alliance to call for consultations if it feels its “territorial integrity, political independence or security” is under threat.

If you’re eager to mark the holidays this year with a Danish flair but Copenhagen seems a tad too far away, you might find the answer in Solvang. An answer that includes gnomes and a troll.

That city, founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, celebrates its Julefest — the winter holidays — with an emphasis on visitor-friendly Old World traditions. This year’s schedule includes a series of events and activities from Nov. 28 through Jan. 4 — roaming carolers, European-style night markets, candlelight tours and shops transformed into micro winter wonderlands.

If you’re planning a winter road trip, here are some things to know.

The most quaint hotels in town are tiny, so book early

Solvang, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, has about 20 hotels and most are smallish and independent. The largest is the Corque Hotel (122 rooms), which is affiliated with Marriott but owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.

The most intimate and affordable hotels — often in a vintage motel sort of way — include the Atterdag Inn (8 rooms), New Haven Inn (10 rooms), Hamlet Inn (13 rooms), Mirabelle Inn (13 rooms), the Viking Inn (13 rooms) and the Winston (14 rooms).

The most luxurious is the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort, whose 73 rooms and cottages routinely rent for $1,500 nightly or more (the property includes a lake and two golf courses).

A tree will rise, amid carols, craft markets and more

Solvang’s holiday celebrations include a tree lighting, like this one in 2023.

(SolvangUSA)

Tree lighting will happen at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, in Solvang Park, followed by a Julefest Parade the next morning at 11 a.m.

Caroling is scheduled on several Saturdays, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Solvang Park (weather permitting). Art and craft markets will materialize on Wednesdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, from 3 to 7 p.m.

There will be European-style markets to peruse.

(SolvangUSA)

Solvang Park will offer hourlong light and music shows nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. Nov. 28 through Jan. 4. There are also evening trolley rides through the San Ynez Valley and meet-and-greet opportunities with Santa (in Solvang Park) are set for noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, Nov. 29 and 30, then Dec. 6, 7, 13,14, 20 and 21.

On Dec. 31, attention shifts to Julefest’s Copenhagen Countdown in Solvang Park, ringing in the Danish new year at 3 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. This event, from 2 to 4 p.m., will feature live music from an ’80s tribute band known as the Molly Ringwald Project.

Gnomes and a troll are expected

The seasonal offerings also include candlelight tours (featuring LED candles and hosts in costume), Christmas light tours and daily hunting for nisser (gnomes) throughout downtown Solvang.

The troll — nicknamed Lulu Hyggelig — isn’t really a seasonal addition. It (or she, if you prefer) is a permanent resident of the city’s California Nature Art Museum, added in February. Lulu, made of recycled pallets and wine barrels, is one of many trolls created worldwide by Danish artist and recycling activist Thomas Dambo and his team of veteran builders and volunteers.

Christmas trees will burn — and that’s part of the celebration

Solvang’s holiday Julefest season often ends with a Christmas tree burn. This one happened in 2023.

(Randy De La Pena/SolvangUSA)

The season ends with a Christmas tree burn, billed as a safety demonstration, supervised by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, weather permitting.