Denmark Thinks Russia-Linked Ships Launched Copenhagen Airport Drone Raid
The Danish authorities have identified three Russian-linked ships that potentially could have been used as launch platforms for drone overflights that closed down Copenhagen Airport on the night of September 22.
Three large drones, which advertised their presence by switching lights on and off, overflew Copenhagen Airport, causing the airport to be shut down for nearly four hours. Oslo Airport in Norway was also closed for three hours at about the same time, after a single drone was spotted.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the incident as being designed to cause chaos, and ‘the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date’. She also identified similarities in the attack to others carried out against European airports, in a week when Russia also deliberately violated Estonian airspace and sent at least 17 drones into Poland. The Prime Minister said that Russian involvement could not as yet be ruled out.
The Danish Prime Minister’s comments were broadcast by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, the state broadcaster.
The Danish Security & Intelligence Service PET and Copenhagen police described the overflights as ’professionally executed’ and as ostentatiously provocative. On the basis of previous involvement in suspicious activity, and suspected presence in the area, investigations are focused on three vessels which could have been used either launch platforms or as decoys, including Astrol 1 (IMO 9906544, top), a coastal freighter flagged in Russia; tanker Pushpa or Borocay (IMO 9332810), identified by Ukraine as a "shadow fleet" tanker with Russian ties; and Oslo Carrier 3 (IMO 9366146), reportedly a Russian-crewed freighter.
Tracklines of Boracay (red), Astrol 1 (orange) and Oslo Carrier 3 (green) at 1330 GMT Tuesday, the day after the raid on the Copenhagen airport (yellow circle) (Pole Star Global / Google / NASA)
Pushpa (file image courtesy VesselFinder / Gianlucca Balloni)
Oslo Carrier 3 (file image courtesy VesselFinder / Dieter Kropelin)
According to Equasis, Pushpa has had three names in two years and is falsely flagged in Malawi, a landlocked nation without a legitimate open registry. A fraudulent-flag designation automatically voids a vessel's insurance cover, if any.
Though the vessels were not directly adjacent to the airport at the time of the security breach, and Pushpa did not pass through the Oresund at all, Astrol 1 showed unusual movements north of the area in the hours leading up to the incident.
@pmolpmol lists three ships interesting as suspected drone carriers in last night attack on Copenhagen Airport.
— auonsson (@auonsson) September 23, 2025
In this thread, I will argue that Russian ship ASTROL 1 is an excellent fit.
Right time, right type, erratic track just before attack, highly suspicious background. pic.twitter.com/5rrYSMLtwI
If the ships are seized or boarded, it may be difficult to find forensic evidence of any drone launch, as launch rails and control equipment can easily be disposed of. The Iranian use of small Delvar and Hengam Class logistic ships and converted cargo vessels as launch platforms for drones has demonstrated how easy it is to conduct launches - and it is not necessary to recover the drones at the end of the mission.
It will also be feasible for any personnel directly involved to have been transferred promptly to another ship. The difficulties of proving involvement is an integral element of the attack plan devised by the as yet unidentified adversary, but given the seriousness of the provocation this may not be sufficient to prevent an attribution of blame.
It is the second time in a month that European authorities have accused a ship of launching drones for covert purposes. On September 7, German police detained the Scanlark - a similar small cargo ship - at the southern Kiel-Holtenau lock of the Kiel Canal. “The reason for this was to avert threats to Germany's critical maritime infrastructure and an ongoing investigation by the Flensburg Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of spying for the purposes of sabotage and security-threatening imaging,” the police and prosecutors said in a joint statement at the time. “It is suspected that a drone was launched from the searched vessel on August 26, 2025, and controlled via a naval vessel in order to reconnoiter it and take photographs.”