Denmark 'in favor of' shooting down drones violating its airspace

Denmark’s prime minister said on Wednesday she is "in favor of" shooting down drones violating the nation’s airspace, ahead of an informal EU leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen.

"I am, in general, I'm in favor of that. There is a mandate in Denmark to try to get them down. Of course, it has to be done in the right way," Mette Frederiksen told reporters before the meeting.

She also said she "hoped" everybody recognizes that "there is a hybrid war" now going on.

"One day it's Poland, the other day, it's Denmark, and next week it will probably somewhere else that we see sabotage, or we see drones flying," she added, referring to a recent spate of airspace violations or acts of sabotage.

Denmark has banned civilian drone flights for a week for the informal EU leaders’ meeting set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Danish authorities closed airspace over multiple airports last week amid reports of drone activity, prompting flight diversions and heightening security concerns over what Frederiksen described as “a hybrid war unfolding on Danish soil.”

On Saturday, the Danish Armed Forces also reported spotting new drones hovering over several of its locations.

Multiple EU states, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, and Denmark, have recently reported airspace violations or disruptions by drones, some reportedly confirmed to be of Russian origin.

Russia has denied the drones belonged to it.