Swedish police investigate suspicious drone sightings over Karlskrona archipelago

Swedish authorities have launched an investigation after residents reported suspicious drones flying over the Karlskrona archipelago in the country’s east, local media said on September 26.

Police were dispatched on the evening of September 25 to the Mocklosundsbron area following multiple reports from residents on Sturko and Tjurko islands. Officers at the scene confirmed sighting one of the unmanned aerial vehicles, according to public broadcaster SVT.

“It is a larger variant, similar to the one that was over Denmark and Skåne,” said Mattias Lundgren, the on-duty investigation leader.

Authorities have filed reports of potential violations under both the Aviation Act and the Protection Act. Witnesses told police they observed two drones with red and green flashing lights. No objects were seized, and no suspects have yet been identified, Evelina Olsson of the regional police command centre said.

Lundgren noted that the drone resembled models recently detected in Denmark and Norway, including those seen near Copenhagen Airport. The Swedish Armed Forces were not involved in Thursday’s response. “That would be if something comes to light, but at the moment it is our business,” Olsson added.

The incidents follow similar drone-related disruptions in Denmark, where authorities temporarily closed airspace over several airports late Thursday, forcing flight diversions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the events as part of “a hybrid war unfolding on Danish soil.”

Earlier in the week, Copenhagen Airport briefly shut down on Tuesday after a drone incursion, diverting at least 31 flights, while Aalborg Airport temporarily closed on Wednesday due to unidentified drones, rerouting three flights. In Norway, Oslo Airport also suspended airspace for three hours on Monday following a drone sighting nearby.

By Tamilla Hasanova