COPENHAGEN (HPD) — Norway’s national security agency on Monday took control of investigations into drone sightings at infrastructure sites, hours after the airport in the country’s second-largest city briefly closed when neighbors spotted at least one drone in the air. nearby.
Bergen airport, close to Norway’s main naval base, closed around 6:30 a.m., airspace was also closed and reopened two and a half hours later.
Police spokesman Ørjan Djuvik said several drone detections were reported near the airport.
“There are observations that could be another phenomenon, such as weather,” Djuvik said. “We are sure there is at least one.”
North of Bergen, a drone was reported near a smaller airport, Foerde, which was also temporarily closed, the NTB news agency reported.
Several drone sightings have been reported near offshore oil and gas platforms and other infrastructure in Norway in recent months, said Hedvig Moe, deputy director of the Norwegian Security Service.
“We believe that (the drone flights) were conducted in such a way that it becomes difficult to determine who is responsible,” but Norwegian authorities suspect that Russia is operating unmanned aircraft “for espionage purposes or simply to create panic,” he said. Moe.
“Russia simply has more to gain and less to lose from intelligence activities in Norway now compared to before the war,” Moe told a news conference.
“It is simply because Russia is under pressure as a result of the war (in Ukraine) and is isolated by sanctions,” he added.