The temporary ban, which went into effect Monday and will last until Friday, was issued after a string of unusual and unexplained drone sightings disrupted travel and sparked national security concerns. According to Denmark’s transport minister, Thomas Danielson, the move is intended to “remove any risk of confusion between legitimate drones and potentially hostile ones” during a period of heightened alert.

Last week, drones were spotted over several key locations, including Aalborg Airport and a military installation near Amager, triggering temporary airport closures and forcing airlines to reroute or delay dozens of flights. Thousands of passengers were affected, and Danish intelligence agencies have been working around the clock to investigate the incidents.

“These sightings are a reminder that we are living in a changed security environment,” Frederiksen said. “We cannot say definitively who is behind them, but we must assume the possibility of foreign interference. And there is primarily one country that poses a threat to Europe’s security – and that is Russia.”

While the Kremlin has denied any involvement, the incidents come amid a broader pattern of Russian military provocations, including drone incursions into NATO airspace over Poland and Romania and repeated violations of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. European defense officials say the pattern is consistent with Moscow’s campaign of hybrid warfare aimed at testing Western response times and sowing uncertainty.

The timing of the ban is significant. On Wednesday, top EU heads of state and government will convene in Copenhagen for a European Council meeting focused on defense coordination and continued support for Ukraine. The following day, Copenhagen will host the European Political Community summit, where more than 40 leaders are expected to discuss energy security, cyber threats, and the growing risk of sabotage in the Baltic Sea region.

“We must guarantee that our police and military can operate under the safest possible conditions as they safeguard these events,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a Sunday statement.

In response to Denmark’s security concerns, NATO announced Saturday that it is increasing air surveillance missions in the Baltic region. Germany dispatched its advanced air-defense frigate FSG Hamburg to Copenhagen as part of NATO’s ongoing “Baltic Sentry” mission, designed to monitor and protect critical infrastructure in the region following several high-profile attacks on undersea cables and pipelines earlier this year.

A new complementary mission, “Eastern Sentry,” has also been launched to reinforce Europe’s eastern flank after a series of Russian drone violations over Polish territory. As part of this effort, Germany will deploy “Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems” — mobile units equipped with radar, optical, and acoustic sensors — to detect and neutralize hostile drones.

Sweden has pledged to provide additional anti-drone technology to Denmark, though Stockholm has not disclosed details for security reasons. Mobile radar systems have already been deployed near Copenhagen and along the Øresund coast to monitor Danish airspace.

Security analysts say the drone ban may inconvenience hobbyists and commercial operators but is a prudent move given the current security climate. “What Denmark is doing is sending a clear signal: this is a red-alert situation, and they are not taking any chances with EU leaders in town,” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a Danish defense policy expert.

The ban will remain in place through the end of the week, covering both summits and the heightened security period around them.