Phantom Drones Over Europe: Who’s Really Behind the Scandinavian Scare?
The world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, arrives in Oslo together with Norwegian vessels to strengthen cooperation in the Total Defense, Oslo, Norway, September 12, 2025. NTB/Fredrik Varfjell via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
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Alarm is spreading across Scandinavia as “unknown” drones circle Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. In Norway’s capital, they hovered over a military site before two suspects were detained. In Denmark, Copenhagen Airport was shut down after three to four large drones were spotted, with police attempting to shoot them down.
Well, that was to be expected. Putin failed to achieve an acceptable result in a conventional war, so he is turning to a hybrid one. This is exactly what Russia will now do along the entire stretch of Europe’s borders: launch drones (or even simulators) so that no one knows when or where they will appear, disrupting airports and spreading uncertainty.
The message is clear: “Tell Ukraine not to do such things on our territory, and we won’t do them on yours.” The Kremlin is convinced—and quite possibly correct—that these “inconveniences” and constant threats will push Europeans to vote the way Putin needs, gradually embracing the logic of Orbán or Fico: namely, that “we must stop sending weapons to Ukraine, and the war will end immediately.”
In essence, everything is being done to push Europe out of active support for Ukraine. The idea is simple: once Europeans begin to feel the threat on their own territory, they will redirect resources to their own defense. Step by step, Europe is being nudged toward accepting the so-called Alaskan agreements—to give up Donbas and agree to a temporary ceasefire—since Ukraine itself cannot be persuaded to do so.
And here comes a personal, almost dramatic dimension. I did not first learn about the drones over Scandinavia from the news, but from a phone call. Our wards from the Kakhovka geriatric boarding house, evacuated from occupied Kherson and now living in Norway for two years, were sure they had escaped the war and Russian strikes.
Then Anton, who is in a hospital far from Oslo, suddenly heard the sound of an air-raid siren. At first, he could not believe his ears. But soon the confirmation came: yes, there was an alarm because of “some drones.” He immediately called me. Just imagine how our young children, who had only just begun to recover from such realities, reacted to the wail of sirens they thought they had left behind.
As a reminder, on the night of September 23, Gardermoen International Airport in the capital of Norway temporarily suspended operations due to the appearance of “unknown” drones in the airspace above the airport.
The previous evening, the airport in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, was closed due to similar circumstances. More than 15 flights were diverted to other cities. Oslo also declared an alert over military facilities, and police detained two Singapore citizens.
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