Did Denmark experience unidentified drone flights last fall? A leak raises questions about the cancellation and timing of the answer presentation.
BT revealed leaked internal documents detailing significant developments related to a government report on mysterious and unidentified drones, with Danish authorities halting the report's publication just hours before the parliamentary elections were announced.
Background of the case and the sudden postponement of the report
According to the source, authorities postponed a key report concerning the sighting of unidentified drones over Denmark just three hours before the election was announced. The report was intended to clarify whether these drones had indeed flown over the country during the autumn, incidents that led to the closure of airspace in several Danish cities and garnered widespread international attention. Denmark initially suggested the drones might be of Russian origin, a claim it was later unable to officially confirm. This incident subsequently raised doubts about the entire affair and whether unidentified drones had actually flown over Denmark.
The documents cast doubt on the accuracy of official statements.
During the election campaign, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen confirmed that the report was not yet complete, which justified its non-publication at that time.
However, documents obtained by the newspapers Berlingske and Frihedsbrevet indicate that several drafts of the report were already prepared before the election, according to BT.
Details of the documents reveal advanced preparations
The documents revealed that government officials had already prepared speech papers, as well as materials including questions and answers, in preparation for the minister's presentation of the report. They also showed that drafts of the report began circulating as early as November, with some dating back to December, indicating significant progress before the Danish parliamentary elections.
Angry political reactions
These findings have provoked strong reactions from a number of political parties, including the Liberal Alliance, the Danish People's Party, the Radical Party, and the Danish Democrats.
In this context, politician Inger Støjberg told the Berlingske newspaper that the matter strongly suggests that information is being concealed, according to the source.
Lack of a clear explanation from the ministry
The documents seen by the newspapers did not provide a clear explanation for why the report was deemed incomplete. However, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the report was “delayed, making it impossible to submit it to the Political Agreement Committee as planned in the ninth week,” according to Berlingske, as reported by BT.
The minister stuck to his official position.
Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen continued to justify his position, writing in a lengthy response to the Berlingske newspaper: “As I have explained several times, the report was not complete, and therefore it could not be sent.” He added that the parties involved in the defense pact were informed on February 26 that the assessment was not ready, noting that this notification came before the election was announced and before he personally knew of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s intention to call for elections.
Continued mystery surrounds the existence of drones
Despite the escalating controversy, the acting defense minister declined to answer directly a question about whether foreign drones had actually breached Danish airspace, leaving the issue open to further political and media speculation.
