A Nation Brought to a Halt by Shadows in the SkyOne week in late September, Denmark suddenly found itself playing host to a strange drama. Drones, small and buzzing yet unidentified, appeared over airports and military sites. Copenhagen and Aalborg shut down flights. Soldiers were put on alert. The media went into overdrive. It had all the ingredients of a thriller: foreign sabotage, aviation chaos, national insecurity.But thrillers usually have a villain. And in this story, there was none. At least, not one backed by evidence..How Russia Was Convicted Without a TrialDespite the absence of proof, the conclusion was instant and unanimous: Russia must be behind it. Danish officials hinted at hybrid warfare. NATO allies nodded knowingly. Commentators filled in the gaps with speculation that sounded a lot like certainty.And yet, buried in the official statements was the inconvenient fact that the defense ministry had no evidence at all. In fact, they suggested the drones might have been launched from inside Denmark or nearby, not from Russian territory.The case was empty, but the verdict had already been delivered..Why the Kremlin Always Plays the VillainThis is not about drones. It is about habit. For years, Russia has been the go-to suspect for any unexplained disturbance in Europe. Cyberattacks? Russia. Gas pipeline leaks? Russia. Now, mysterious buzzing drones? Russia again.It is not hard to see why. Moscow is a ready-made villain. Pointing the finger at the Kremlin is politically convenient. It reassures anxious citizens by saying "we know who the enemy is." It keeps NATO unified. It justifies bigger security budgets and fresh aid packages. In short, blaming Russia keeps the machine well-oiled.But political convenience is not the same thing as truth..When Theater Replaces Evidence, Democracy SuffersThe problem with this reflex is not simply that it is sloppy. It is dangerous. Every time leaders rush to blame Russia without evidence, three things happen.First, credibility is eroded. If the public learns that dramatic claims rest on thin air, trust in institutions evaporates. Second, escalation risks grow. Accusing a nuclear-armed state of aggression without proof is not just irresponsible, it is reckless. And third, real culprits may be overlooked. By fixating on Moscow, investigators may ignore other possibilities such as local actors, rogue groups, or even deliberate false-flag operations.A democracy that thrives on facts cannot afford to be addicted to theater..The Charade of Endless Cold War ReenactmentsThe Danish drones have now joined a long list of incidents where suspicion hardens into certainty before any evidence arrives. Aid flows, speeches are made, alliances are reaffirmed, and the story locks into place. Whether or not Russia had anything to do with it becomes almost irrelevant.This is not security policy. It is stagecraft. A Cold War play performed again and again, with the same actors and the same lines. The drones in Denmark may be new, but the script is old..What Europe Really Needs Is Honesty and PatienceIt takes discipline to admit "we do not know yet." It takes courage to say "let us investigate before we accuse." But that is exactly what Europe needs. Evidence should come first, politics second. Otherwise, Europe risks turning every unexplained shadow into proof of Russian aggression, and every mystery into a geopolitical spectacle.If the Danish drones were Russian, let investigators prove it beyond doubt and let consequences follow. If they were not, then Europe owes itself the humility to acknowledge it. Either way, Europe must stop confusing suspicion with truth.The Cold War script is tempting because it is familiar. But Europe cannot afford to keep playing the same role in the same play forever. The world is already volatile enough. If leaders want to be taken seriously, they must resist the urge to act out geopolitical dramas on autopilot. The task is not to keep the show going but to find out what really happened..The Drones Were Real, the Blame Was NotDenmark faced real disruptions, real fear, and real uncertainty. Airports were shut down, passengers were stranded, and the public saw just how vulnerable European skies have become to small, cheap, hard-to-detect technology. Nobody should downplay that. The drones were real. The danger was real.But what came after was not. The immediate conviction of Russia, repeated in press conferences and headlines, was political theater rather than grounded analysis. It was performance dressed up as policy. Until hard evidence appears, the only thing truly flying over Europe is not Russian drones but recycled narratives of Cold War paranoia.And here is the danger: every time leaders choose narrative over evidence, they risk corroding public trust. Citizens can forgive uncertainty. They can understand when governments admit they do not yet know who is responsible. What they cannot forgive is manipulation. If people start to feel that every unexplained incident is automatically weaponized into another round of anti-Russian messaging, they will not only distrust the messaging but eventually distrust the institutions behind it.The stakes are even higher internationally. When suspicion is presented as certainty, and when that certainty is used to justify aid packages, sanctions, or new deployments, Europe risks escalating tensions on the basis of little more than hunches. That is not strategy. It is recklessness. To point the finger at Moscow without evidence is to play with fire in a room already filled with smoke.This does not mean Russia should be given the benefit of the doubt. It means Europe should hold itself to a higher standard than simply assuming the worst and calling it fact. Suspicion should remain suspicion until evidence makes it proof. Anything less turns serious security issues into political theater and hands Moscow a propaganda victory: the chance to point at Western accusations and say, "Look, they invent enemies without evidence."If the Danish drones were Russian, let investigators prove it beyond doubt and let consequences follow. If they were not, then leaders owe their citizens an honest admission of uncertainty. Either way, Europe must stop confusing suspicion with truth.The Cold War script is tempting because it is familiar. But Europe cannot afford to keep playing the same role in the same play forever. The world is already volatile enough. If leaders want to be taken seriously, they must resist the urge to act out geopolitical dramas on autopilot. The task is not to keep the show going but to find out what really happened.Until then, the real threat is not drones in the sky but political illusions on the ground..Denmark Bans Civilian Drones Amid Security Concerns at EU Summit.Denmark Faces New Wave of Drone Incursions at Military Sites.European Union Advances 'Drone Wall' to Counter Russian Airspace Threats
