Drone sightings over Denmark: how to react?
There have been several sightings of unidentified drones flying over Danish airports and an airbase this week. Drone sightings on Monday had already crippled airports in Copenhagen and Oslo for several hours. These incidents come after a series of violations of Polish, Romanian and Estonian airspace by Russian drones and jets. The media discuss motives and countermeasures.
Glaring security shortcomings
Politiken takes the Danish government to task over the drone sightings:
“If the state cannot protect airports from drones - or even identify them and track where they came from - this is a serious failure, both militarily and politically. All the government's talk about war, security and armament should have been translated into action and a clear strategy long ago. You can't demand discipline from the population for years and then stand by helplessly when the security of the kingdom is so fundamentally challenged.”
Fear makes hybrid attacks more effective
Technological advances are facilitating ever more sophisticated hybrid campaigns, Ilta-Sanomat explains:
“There was talk of hybrid warfare years before Russia invaded Ukraine. ... Evolving technologies offer completely new possibilities for this. Drones have developed rapidly during the war in Ukraine. ... Vital services can be disrupted on the other side of the globe via the internet. Social media services, which are subject to little oversight, provide an effective way to spread propaganda. As the fear intensifies, ordinary accidents are increasingly seen as deliberate acts of sabotage. This enhances the effectiveness of the hybrid campaign without any additional effort.”
Don't be goaded into war
Even if Russia continues to provoke, Nato states must remain calm, warns journalist and author Andrei Hvostov in Eesti Ekspress:
“What we are currently observing with alarm was routine in the second half of the last century. The main thing was that certain boundaries were not overstepped. Provocations were allowed, but letting the situation escalate into a full-scale war wasn't. ... The armed forces of dictatorial states can behave crazily because the society of these countries just go along with this. In democratic states, by contrast, people are firmly opposed to any kind of 'war games'. ... Estonia is no exception. We are destined to remain calm.”
Reform the war economy
As the way wars are fought changes, new economic approaches and strategies will be needed, economist Vidmantas Janulevičius explains on TV3:
“War is becoming a battle between networks - whoever can combine sensors, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence and manufacturing into an ecosystem will gain the upper hand. This reality means that simply purchasing tanks or missiles is no longer enough to guarantee our security. A whole new system is needed. And the defence industry plays a key role in that system. ... Anti-drone measures must not remain isolated purchases - they must become part of a long-term defence strategy for the EU and Nato. Because this is not just a military issue, but also an economic and industrial challenge.”
Time to take a stand
Jyllands-Posten sees Moscow as the initiator of the drone flights and calls on the West to take countermeasures:
“The drones over the airport may have been the consequence of the West's vague reactions to the incidents in Poland, Romania and the Baltic states. Military responses should be followed by interventions against the Russian war economy. The plans are ready and waiting in the drawers of European leaders. Those drawers must be opened. Fear, paralysis and the 'it'll all be fine' mentality must not be allowed to prevail. Citizens, politicians and authorities must confront the reality of the situation. Not what they dream it should be.”
Two targets in Russia's crosshairs
Moscow is targeting Europe as a whole, writes Ilta-Sanomat:
“It may be that the incident at Copenhagen Kastrup Airport is never completely clarified. But Russia's aggressive activities in the Baltic region and elsewhere are a fact. ... The intimidation has two targets: the citizens of Nato states, who are to be made to fear war. ... The second target is the leaders of the Nato states, who are to shift their focus to protecting their own territories. ... Russia is making clear that this is a war that encompasses all of Europe.”
Learn from Ukraine's defence against drones
For Göteborgs-Posten the drone incursions have shown that the West is investing in the wrong weapons systems:
“Ukraine has used its human capital and technical expertise to surprise on the battlefield and gain advantages over Russia's superiority in terms of firepower and soldiers. The question is: has Europe managed to do this? Our rearmament is largely about acquiring expensive weapons systems, which in some cases run the risk of becoming obsolete once they have been tested. What we need are a few nerds who can come up with a way to shoot down Russian drones for less than 100,000 crowns [approximately 9,000 euros] per hit.”
More an invitation than a warning
The Süddeutsche Zeitung would have liked Nato to be more explicit:
“Any dithering on Nato's part encourages Moscow to engage in further provocations. And every provocation carries the risk of misunderstandings or clashes that could have potentially catastrophic consequences. The clearer the message to Russia about what will happen if it continues to send aircraft across the alliance's eastern border, the more predictable the situation will be for Moscow. Assuming that Vladimir Putin does not want to go to war with Nato at the moment, this will reduce the risk of an unintended escalation. ... The concern within the alliance about having to enforce a red line that it itself drew is apparently too great. Vladimir Putin is likely to see this as an invitation rather than a warning.”