Image Credentials: Image Title: Denmark Warns: “Russia Has Launched a Hybrid War and This Is Only the Beginning” Source: (sora.openai) Date: September 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai), this does not depict a real-world scene.
Benjamin Foster | Staff Writer with Agencies
Copenhagen became the center of European attention on Tuesday as Denmark hosted an informal but highly significant meeting of European leaders to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine and wider regional security concerns. The choice of Denmark’s capital was far from accidental. In recent months, the country has experienced a surge of unidentified aerial incursions, making it one of the NATO states most directly affected by suspected Russian hybrid tactics.
Although no direct evidence has yet been made public, the incidents mirror airspace violations reported in Poland, Romania, and Estonia. Danish officials fear that they, too, may be the target of Russian operations designed to destabilize and divide Europe.
Hybrid War on Europe
Speaking to the Financial Times, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued one of the starkest warnings yet from a European head of government. She described a “hybrid war” being waged by Moscow against NATO allies and stressed that what Europe is experiencing now “is only the beginning.”
“We have to be very clear that this is probably just the start,” Frederiksen said. “All Europeans must understand what is at stake and what is happening.”
According to the Danish leader, Russia’s tactics go beyond traditional military aggression. “When there are drones or cyberattacks, the idea is to divide us,” she emphasized, noting that the threat transcends Denmark’s borders and strikes at the heart of European unity.
Ghost Fleet and Covert Operations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the Copenhagen meeting, went further than his European counterparts by alleging that vessels from Russia’s so-called “ghost fleet” are directly involved in hybrid attacks across Europe. While Denmark has not publicly confirmed these claims, the suspicion reflects growing concern within NATO about covert Russian maritime operations, sabotage, and cyber warfare.
Frederiksen stopped short of explicitly blaming Moscow for the recent incidents in Danish airspace. Yet she underlined that Russia remains Europe’s “primary enemy” and that NATO must prepare for ongoing, varied, and unpredictable provocations.
A Strategy of Destabilization
“The idea of hybrid warfare is to threaten us, divide us, destabilize us,” Frederiksen said. “One day it is drones, another day it is cyberattacks, the next day sabotage. This will not end simply with increased capabilities.”
Her remarks signal a push for deeper strategic discussions within the European Union and NATO about how to counter nontraditional threats — operations that fall short of open warfare but steadily erode security and solidarity.
Europe at a Crossroads
As European leaders convene in Copenhagen, the sense of urgency is palpable. Hybrid warfare poses challenges that cannot be met with military hardware alone. Frederiksen’s warning reflects the view that NATO must move from reactive measures to proactive deterrence, closing vulnerabilities that Russia seeks to exploit.
For Denmark, and for Europe as a whole, the events unfolding may indeed be only the beginning.
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