Denmark warns that Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe


By LORNE COOK, Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Europe is in the middle of a hybrid war waged by Russia and the continent must arm itself, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Wednesday as she hosted a summit of European Union leaders in Copenhagen.

“I hope that everybody recognizes 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.

Wednesday’s summit comes after a spate of troubling drone incidents at Danish airports and military bases over the last week. Ahead of 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 U.K. also sent aircraft, ships and air defense systems to Denmark ahead of the talks. Ukraine’s armed forces have dispatched a mission to the Nordic country for joint exercises, sharing its expertise on combating Russian drones.

The German Navy air defense frigate FGS Hamburg F220 is docked in Copenhagen on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

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

“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.”

Russia is the focus of Wednesday’s summit, where discussions are expected to center on how to prepare Europe to fend off Russian aggression by 2030, especially as the United States turns its focus on security concerns in Asia and elsewhere.

Ukraine is also high on the agenda, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to address the EU leaders by videolink.

Leaders and intelligence services believe that Russia could mount an assault elsewhere in Europe in 3 to 5 years, and that President Vladimir Putin is intent on testing NATO as doubts swirl about U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the organization.

On Sept. 10, when several Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace, NATO aircraft were scrambled to intercept and shoot down some of the devices. It was the first direct encounter between NATO and Moscow since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.



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