Norway’s domestic intelligence agency has taken over investigations into the country’s reported drone sightings near key infrastructure sites just hours after Bergen Airport (BGO) closed due to residents spotting at least one drone nearby.
Bergen is Norway’s second-largest city and the airport is located near Norway’s main naval base. BGO airport shut down on October 19, 2022 06:30 a.m and was reopened two and a half hours later.
Bergen police spokesman Ørjan Djuvik told ABC News that drone sightings had been reported near the airport.
Another drone sighting was also reported near Foerde Airport, north of Bergen. The airport also closed temporarily, Norwegian news agency NTB said.
Numerous drone sightings have been reported near offshore oil and gas platforms and other key Norwegian infrastructure in recent months, Hedvig Moe, deputy chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service said.
“We believe (the drone flights are) carried out in a way that makes it difficult to find out who is really behind it, but Norwegian authorities suspect Russian involvement in operating unmanned aerial vehicles that can be used for espionage or simply to create fear,” Moe said.
Moe added: “Russia simply has more to gain and less to lose by conducting intelligence activities in Norway now compared to the situation before the war,” she said during a news conference. “It is simply because Russia is in a pressured situation as a result of the war (in Ukraine) and is isolated by sanctions.”
This news comes just days after two Russian men were apprehended. One was caught flying a drone over Norway’s Tromso Airport (TOS), and the other was detained by police in Arctic Norway after multiple drone sightings were reported close to Norwegian offshore oil and gas drilling platforms.