Denmark reports Russian provocations with drones and warships in Baltic Sea

Rising tension in the Baltic©Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock.com

Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) has issued a warning about what it calls “persistent sub-threshold pressure” from Russia in the Danish Straits.

According to Army Recognition and United24 Media on Oct. 4, Moscow appears to be stepping up gray-zone operations involving drones and warships near the straits, a critical artery for allied trade, energy routes and undersea infrastructure.

Gray-zone tactics©President Of Ukraine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

During an Oct. 3 briefing in Copenhagen, Danish officials said Russia has been combining drone incursions near airports with provocative naval maneuvers that fall short of direct confrontation.

A strategic chokepoint for Europe

The Danish Straits — consisting of the Great Belt, the Little Belt and the Øresund — form one of Europe’s most important maritime corridors. Nearly all naval traffic between Russia’s Baltic ports and the Atlantic passes through them, giving the area immense military and economic significance.

NATO presence in the region©Kaspars V / Shutterstock

To deter aggression and maintain situational control, Danish, German and U.S. naval forces are currently active in the area under NATO’s Baltic Sentry and Neptune Strike frameworks.

These operations coordinate regional surveillance, intelligence sharing and rapid-response capabilities.