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The unsettling thought on the mind of many who have spotted them overhead is: what's behind them?

A Norwegian father had little doubt about what appeared before him when an unusual crimson glow appeared between his home and carport on Norway's west coast one frosty night in the end of September.

The family man, a fisheries worker and rescue worker, had just driven his teenage son home from football practice when they paused suddenly by an object overhead in Norway's transparent atmosphere.

"Near the outbuilding and residence I notice a strange light that isn't usually present. Me and my boy instantly identify it's a flying device," he stated. "We remain stationary briefly and look and we see the red lights. I could see it was substantial in size. Maybe 1.5 metres wide."

As a regular drone user, he knew perfectly well of the regulations near his home close to a regional airport, a key base for the international defense organization and Norway's aerial defense.

Rising Anxieties

It was rare to observe an unmanned aircraft flying at night. However, only when the subsequent morning, when he learned of the unauthorized drone flights at the country's aviation facilities, that he started to think more about it.

His sons were nervous. He attempted to reassure them. "As it stands now, we are far away from the war that's taking place but I think our activities are being monitored and trying to see how we respond to drones," he said.

The witness states he remains unafraid currently, but the sightings have already had certain mental impacts on Norwegians. He suspects the situation in the region could intensify quickly. "With increasing sightings the flying devices, increasing numbers wonder what's occurring. They're interested."

Extensive Occurrences

Following multiple unmanned aircraft were destroyed in the skies over Poland recently, sightings of remotely piloted aircraft have expanded over the region, comprising incidents that have closed major airports.

Denmark's leader spoke to the country after the closure of Copenhagen airport. "We are at the beginning of a multifaceted confrontation against our region," she stated.

A violation over the Bavarian aviation facility recently compelled flight regulators to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of multiple air journeys and disrupting travel for thousands of air travelers.

Historical Parallels

The incursions in Northern Europe also have significant historical parallels, commented a university professor in the study of psychological impacts.

"It has been said that history doesn't repeat itself, but it shows patterns – and what we are currently seeing over the Nordic countries is historical patterns repeating," he explained. "There is a long history of UFO scares over this region where the culprit was thought to originate from either Russia or the former Soviet Union."

Before World War II it was "phantom aircraft" that created anxiety, thought to be Russian reconnaissance planes on surveillance operations as anticipating a military attack.

"Numerous such accounts correspond with known astronomical objects like the planet Venus appearing," noted the academic. "No aircraft of the time could have continued flying for the periods that it was often observed. Advancing to the post-war period and Nordic states were experiencing anxiety about mass sightings of 'phantom missiles'."

Emotional Effects

There is also a mental health effect that is insufficiently acknowledged, stated an academic expert studying unmanned aircraft impacts.

"I think the violations are a method to frighten and to challenge," she explained. "Therefore flying devices essentially function in this grey zone where they establish their visibility, their abilities, they show that there are weaknesses, but they stop short of reaching into total armed conflict that we're seeing in the current warfare."

An additional academic participating in the research stated that since humans employed aviation in combat, one of the consequences was to "convert tranquil atmospheres into an ongoing security concern."

Contemporary Context

The flying device reports of the current year cannot be described psychological projections but they're happening amid a "perfect storm" of international conflicts driven by foreign provocation and anxieties over the unpredictability of historical military associate the United States.

"Unexpectedly, many European countries like Denmark are perceiving greater threats than they've felt for many years," he noted.

"Within this atmosphere, what we are seeing is a collective anxiety attack where the airspace has become a social barometer of the current era, driven by limitations in human observation and anxiety."

It's almost autumn and daylight hours decrease, which means extended periods without light which cannot be overlooked as it increases the ambiguity of the situation.

"It cannot be good for people experiencing mental health challenges," concluded the expert.