The week-long curb follows recent drone scares at Danish airports.

Denmark has imposed a blanket ban on civilian drone flights across its airspace from Monday to Friday as European Union leaders gather in Copenhagen, the Ministry of Transport said. Authorities say the measure is designed to prevent any confusion between harmless hobby craft and potentially hostile aircraft, and to reduce the burden on police and military units safeguarding the event.

Denmark currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency and is hosting talks focused on bolstering support for Ukraine and strengthening the bloc’s collective defence. The agenda has sharpened after a series of airspace incidents, including sightings of drones over Danish Air Force facilities and recent incursions by Russian fighter jets, officials say. Last week, civilian airports in Copenhagen and Aalborg were temporarily shut after reported drone activity.

The European Commission has said it suspects the unmanned aircraft detected over parts of Scandinavia are of Russian origin, a claim the Kremlin has denied, including in relation to flights that disrupted airports in Denmark and neighbouring Norway. Denmark’s transport minister, Benny Engelbrecht, called the current security picture difficult and argued the ban would help avoid misinterpretation and needless call-outs during the summit.

Violations of the prohibition can draw fines and, in serious cases, prison terms of up to two years. Only “very special” exemptions will be considered, the government said, without detailing criteria.

In a separate signal of heightened alert, the NATO alliance said it would reinforce its posture in the Baltic Sea, deploying a naval air-defence frigate alongside other resources.