Drone sightings disrupted air traffic and triggered security alerts across three Nordic capitals on Monday, intensifying NATO concerns about possible Russian hybrid operations in the region.Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport, the largest in northern Europe, was shut down for several hours after two to three large drones were reported in the area, according to Reuters and Euronews.More than 35 flights were diverted as Danish police launched a large-scale operation. Authorities have not identified the operators of the drones..In Oslo, drones were spotted over military facilities, including the Akershus Fortress, a government and defense site. Norwegian police confirmed the detention of two Singaporean nationals, both in their 50s, accused of operating drones in a no-fly zone. Officials have not linked these arrests to the larger-scale incidents in Denmark or Sweden.By Monday evening, reports also emerged from Sweden. Multiple social media posts and Swedish broadcaster SVT described drones spotted over Stockholm and over the sea between Denmark and Sweden.Some accounts characterized the situation as a coordinated “drone alarm” spanning Denmark, Norway and Sweden..Sweden’s government, already on high alert after earlier incursions this month, reiterated its warning that Russian military aircraft violating its airspace would be shot down.While no official statement has confirmed Russian involvement in Monday’s sightings, analysts note the pattern aligns with Moscow’s suspected use of drones and other tactics to test NATO defenses.The incidents coincide with NATO’s ongoing Eastern Sentry exercise, which focuses on countering potential Russian incursions. Security analysts argue that the timing and scale of the Copenhagen closure alongside simultaneous alarms in Oslo and Stockholm suggest more than coincidence..Civilian arrests in Oslo show that not every case is state-directed, but the regional pattern is too consistent to dismiss, one European defense analyst told local media. This is exactly the kind of hybrid activity NATO has warned about.No damage or confirmed attacks have been reported, but airspace disruptions continue to cause ripple effects across the Nordic region. With three capitals now affected in a single day, officials warn that unmanned aerial systems represent an evolving challenge for European security, one that increasingly points back to Russia.
