A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The U.S. and other countries in NATO have sent military troops and equipment to Denmark to protect its capital while hosting meetings with European Union leaders starting today. Ukraine even sent some help, too. A week of flights by unidentified drones caused fear that Russia might be involved, but no proof. Teri Schultz reports from Copenhagen that many Danes are rethinking their personal security.
TERI SCHULTZ, BYLINE: The Danish government still can't say who staged the mysterious drone flights every day and night for a week. With NATO allies and Ukrainian experts now rushing to protect the capital, it's harder to tell people not to be afraid. Instead, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard warns them this is their new reality.
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PETER HUMMELGAARD: (Through interpreter) We will be in a situation that is also similar to this one again. That is the nature of hybrid warfare.
SCHULTZ: For Trine (ph), a hotel receptionist, the drones have already caused too many sleepless nights. We agreed not to share last names of people we spoke to if requested, given the widespread panic.
TRINE: I live very near the airport, so every night, these helicopters and stuff are going around and around. I really need to sleep. I have (imitating helicopter sound) around my house all night.
SCHULTZ: She's not the only one whose nerves are frayed.
TRINE: Everybody is talking about it.
SCHULTZ: Are they worried?
TRINE: Very worried. I am. My kids are. My family are. We make these emergency plans. What do we do? So we actually - we prepped. We prepared.
SCHULTZ: That meant, she said, checking their canned food supply, stocking up on water and reviewing their plan with other family members in case physical evacuation is needed. Trine's family isn't coming up with disaster scenarios on their own. Like other Nordic governments, Denmark urges citizens to store enough supplies to survive a minimum of three days with no access to electricity, food or fresh water. Since the drones first appeared September 22, people seem to be taking the recommendations more seriously than before.
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SCHULTZ: A home goods store in a Copenhagen suburb.
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SCHULTZ: Sales associate Peter Sandell (ph) said 20-liter containers of water were going fast.
PETER SANDELL: This morning, we have this, this and this full.
SCHULTZ: Alejandra (ph) and Alexander (ph) snagged the last camping stove on the store's shelf. They said until now they'd half-heartedly followed the government advice on stockpiling, but the airspace incursions were a wake-up call.
ALEJANDRA: We bought, like, the - all the water and all that was before the drones. So now with the drones, we were like, OK.
ALEXANDER: We need to get the last stuff...
ALEJANDRA: Exactly.
ALEXANDER: ...That is on the list.
SCHULTZ: It's been a jolt for Danish authorities as well, says Jakob Hallgren with the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Sweden also went through a period like this shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine, he explained, and invested a lot in renovating and expanding its network of bomb shelters. Hallgren advises the Danish government to do the same.
JAKOB HALLGREN: Living in Denmark, you might have kind of thought that you were shielded from these developments, but this is obviously no longer the case. So if they haven't, it's really high time to make sure that those shelters are repaired and that there is proper information about where you can find them.
SCHULTZ: In the meantime, Trine says she knows what she'd like to do about those disruptive drones. She joked to her policeman husband she'd like to borrow one of his weapons.
TRINE: And then my daughter - she's 20 - she said, aww, Dad, give her a bazooka (laughter).
SCHULTZ: She emphasizes she was kidding. But she hopes the Danish government does decide to shoot the drones down if they show up again.
For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz in Copenhagen.
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