Drones over Denmark. In the background of a Russian landing ship

Following a series of airspace breaches by unmanned systems resulting in temporary closure of airports in Denmark, the attention of the Danish services was drawn to the presence of a Russian warship near the Öresund Strait. Launch unit Alexander Shabalin It has moved along Danish territorial waters for several days.

Drones over Denmark and Russian tracks at sea

The incidents began on Monday and lasted until Friday, paralyzing the Copenhagen airport for a few hours and leading to temporary closures in Aalborg. Though it wasn't the first. the case of disturbances of an unestablished origin, the scale and coordination of actions led the service to initiate an immediate investigation.

Parallel to the violations of airspace by unmanned systems, several civilian units associated with the Russian Federation were spotted in the Öresund Strait area. One source indicates that one of them deliberately reduced its speed, moving close to the air infrastructure.

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However, they did not attract the greatest attention. Journal Reporter Extra Bladet, who hired a helicopter to observe the situation, saw a landing ship off the southern coast of Langeland Island Alexander Shabalin Project 775. The unit did not use the AIS, which made it difficult to identify, although in line with the practice of the Russian Navy.

Russian landing craft Alexander Shabalin at the centre of interest of Danish services

According to reports from journalists and quoted military experts, Aleksandr Shabalin It has been in this area for several days – during the period of the highest activity of drones over Denmark.

As Jacob Kaarsbo, former analyst of Danish military intelligence, the unit could serve as a platform supporting the operation of other Russian ships – both as an observation pointAnd the diversion. It also cannot be excluded that it cooperates with civilian units that could potentially be used to launch unmanned aircraft.

The Danish authorities confirmed that the Russian landing vessel is covered by an ongoing investigation in the framework of the investigation of drone incidents.

Although the source of the drone incidents was not officially indicated, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Thursday that similar events would repeat. In her opinion, what Denmark is currently facing is "a hybrid war". Her head of Danish defensive intelligence Thomas Ahrenkiel, who pointed to Russia's increasing readiness to take risky action in the grey security zone – below the threshold of regular armed conflict.

Russian resistance test of NATO countries

The presence of a Russian landing ship at the sensitive point of the Öresund Strait, during coordinated disruptions to Danish airports, cannot be considered accidental. It all suggests that it was one of the elements of a wider operation testing the state's resistance to hybrid activities.

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For months, NATO Member States on the Baltic Sea have been reporting suspicious activities of vessels, GPS interference and worrying incidents around critical infrastructure – from telecommunications cables to offshore wind farms.

Hybrid War without notices

When examining activities such as those off the coast of Denmark, it is difficult to miss the repeated pattern. Russia does not declare war on any NATO country – instead it consistently destabilizes, using a mix of misinformation, cyber attacks, sabotage of infrastructure and military operations conducted in a way that is difficult to unambiguously qualify as an act of aggression.

As the potential actions of the Federation of Russia show, the modern war is not in the trenches but at the interface airspace, maritime and digital. It is a creeping conflict – undermining confidence in the security of the state, disrupting the daily functioning of the state and forcing allies to be ready at any time.

Ship incident Aleksandr Shabalin should be an emergency signal – not only for Denmark, but also for Poland, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States. This is not only a demonstration of strength, but also a test of how long Europe will remain passive towards actions below the war threshold.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz