Danish media sources have suggested that the drones which caused flight disruptions at Copenhagen Airport (CPH) for four hours on September 22, 2025, might have been transported to Denmark by ships, possibly using them as platforms for launching or landing.
This information was initially reported by the Danish media outlet TV2 on September 23, 2025. The theory has gained more importance after Copenhagen Police confirmed they are aware of the ships in the area and are currently looking into the matter.
Maritime links to Copenhagen drone incident
According to a TV2 report, three ships are currently under scrutiny. The report indicates that all three ships could have connections to Russia, though it is not officially confirmed if they are related to the drone incident at Copenhagen Airport.
The first ship is the sanctioned Russian cargo vessel ASTROL-1, which has been traveling from Arkhangelsk, Russia, to St. Petersburg over the last week. On September 21, 2025, the ship slowed down east of Anholt, Danish island in the Kattegat strait, and took a zigzag route south through the Kattegat sea area for approximately 12 hours before passing through the Sound strait the following day.
The Russian cargo ship Astrol 1 sailed through the Øresund on Monday afternoon. The ship had spent the night leading up to Monday slowly sailing in a zigzag pattern through the Kattegat.
📸: Marine Traffic pic.twitter.com/WYaQi9k5lg
— Orla Joelsen (@OJoelsen) September 23, 2025
The second ship is the Benin-flagged tanker PUSHPA, which has been sanctioned for transporting Russian oil, TV2 reported. It was situated about 80 kilometers southeast of Copenhagen Airport at 20:30 local time when the drone incident occurred and was subsequently escorted by a German naval vessel for four hours.
The third ship is the Norwegian cargo vessel OSLO CARRIER 3, which was found seven kilometers north of the airport, according to TV2 report. Although it is not directly associated with Russia, it has previously had Russian-speaking crew members, and the company that owns the ship, Bulkship Management, has connections to Kaliningrad.
Danish PM calls incident ‘serious attack’
While authorities have not identified any suspects in the Copenhagen airspace breach, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen suggested that Russian involvement is a possibility, referencing recent drone activities in Polish, Estonian, Romanian airspace and elsewhere.
“What we saw is the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date,” Frederiksen said in a written statement seen by TV2, adding that the event reflects on the “kind of time we live in”.
During a press conference on September 23, 2025, Flemming Drejer, Chief of Operations at the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET), said that the institution is looking into possible links with Russia.
“This attack is eerily reminiscent of a provocation by Moscow. This places strict demands on how the entire EU now relates to the fight against drones,” European Movement’s Chairman Jens-Kristian Lütken said during the conference, also voicing concerns about possible Russian involvement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the drone incident in Copenhagen in a post on X, stating: “If there is no resolute response from the allies – both states and institutions – to aggressive provocations, Russia will continue them.”
Copenhagen Airport was not the only location impacted by drone activities in the Nordic area. Police confirmed that a drone was detected near Oslo Airport (OSL) on the evening of September 22, 2025.
