Russian warships aimed weapons at Danish vessels in Baltic straits

The incidents included Russian ships taking collision courses, targeting Danish vessels and helicopters with weapons, and disrupting navigation systems.

“We have witnessed several incidents in the Danish straits where Danish Air Force helicopters and naval vessels were targeted by Russian warships’ tracking radars and had weapons physically aimed at them,” said Thomas Arenkiel, director of Danish military intelligence.

In other cases, Russian vessels deliberately sailed on hazardous courses, creating collision risks with Danish ships.

Arenkiel added that one Russian vessel anchored in Danish waters for more than a week, suggesting Moscow may have been trying to interfere with Denmark’s potential actions to restrict Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to evade Western oil sanctions.

Danish intelligence also reported that some Russian ships were equipped with active sonars and jamming systems, likely responsible for severe GPS disruptions across the country. Officials assessed these actions as part of Russia’s hybrid war against Denmark and the West.

“Russia is using military tools, including aggressive ones, to pressure us without crossing the threshold into traditional armed conflict,” Arenkiel said.

On Oct. 3, the White House said reports of Russian maritime provocations were “a serious matter.”

“The administration is closely monitoring the situation. The National Security Council is in regular contact with our NATO allies, and the president is speaking with many of them,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.

The provocations come after multiple drone incidents in Denmark. On Sept. 23, Copenhagen Airport was shut down for several hours after drones were spotted in restricted airspace. On Sept. 25, drones were reported flying near military facilities, including Aalborg Air Base, home to C-130 Hercules and CL-604 Challenger aircraft, as well as the elite Jægerkorps unit. Another drone was seen near Skrydstrup Air Base, which hosts Denmark’s F-16 fighter jets.

That evening, Aalborg Airport was closed for the third time in a month due to unidentified drones.

On Oct. 2, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin mocked the drone sightings in Europe, saying he would “no longer launch drones in Denmark or France.” He quipped that “there are a lot of weirdos” in Europe who fly drones “just for fun.”