Danish authorities have identified three vessels as potential sources of the drone activity that disrupted Copenhagen Airport on September 23rd, 2025, with the Prime Minister calling the incidents the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date and not ruling out Russian involvement. The three ships under scrutiny are the sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Astrol 1, the Benin-flagged tanker Pushpa, and the Norwegian cargo ship Oslo Carrier 3, which had Russian-speaking crew members and was near the airport during the drone activity. PET and Copenhagen Police describe the operator as a capable actor possibly testing or demonstrating capabilities. Investigations are ongoing, and it is not yet confirmed if the ships were directly involved, according to a statement released during the reporting window. The Astrol 1 reportedly made irregular maneuvers near Øresund, while the Pushpa was under sanctions for carrying Russian oil. The Oslo Carrier 3's owner also has offices in Kaliningrad. This development follows a report that Danish police are investigating the possibility that a civilian aircraft, OY-CDT, may have been involved in the drone activity. The aircraft reportedly flew over the runway twice, at 400ft, at 20:17 and 20:19 local time on September 23rd, shortly before the airport was closed due to drone reports at 20:26 local time. Copenhagen Airport resumed normal operations at 7:00 AM UTC on September 23rd, 2025, following earlier drone activity between 6:05 AM and 7:05 AM UTC that led to 51 flights being diverted and 109 cancelled. In parallel, Norway's police are investigating an illegal drone flight in a prohibited area near Tromsø airport in Tromsdalen. Denmark and Norway are cooperating to determine if incidents in Oslo and Copenhagen are connected. Malmö residents also reported drone alarms on the nights of September 22nd and 23rd, though police could not confirm sightings.
