Moscow has dismissed as “ridiculous” speculation of Russian involvement in recent drone incidents in Denmark, the Russian embassy in Copenhagen said today.

In a statement on Telegram, the embassy described the reported disruptions at Danish airports as a “staged provocation”, saying they are being used as a pretext for escalating tensions.

Recall that unidentified unmanned aircraft flying over civilian and a military airport in Denmark for the second night in a row this week, with the defence minister saying there is now a “systematic threat” posed by a “professional player”.

Major airports affected

It will be recalled that due to the disturbances, Aalborg airport, located in northern Denmark and one of the country’s largest airports, used for both commercial and military flights, was closed, Danish police said. The drones left the area after about three hours. The other three airports were not closed.

The drone attack affected the Danish armed forces and was described as “the most serious attack to date on Denmark’s infrastructure” by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Norwegian authorities also closed the airspace of Oslo airport for three hours Monday night after a drone appeared.

“The drones that stopped flights at Copenhagen airport were part of a pattern of persistent disputes at our borders,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday.

Russia’s ambassador to Denmark said suspicions of his country’s involvement in the incident were unfounded. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also called the accusations “unfounded.”

Although Norwegian and Danish authorities are cooperating on the incidents in Copenhagen and Oslo, their investigation has yet to establish a connection, Norway’s foreign minister said Wednesday.

Commercial drones are generally not able to take off and fly near airports, as those areas are designated as “no-fly zones” in their GPS software.