Denmark has accused a Russian warship of firing two flares at one of its helicopters while it was tracking Russian vessels in the Baltic Sea, the BBC reports.
The Danish government has summoned the Russian ambassador to provide an explanation regarding the incident, which occurred during a routine surveillance operation. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the Russian actions as reckless, stating that they were intended to sow division and intimidate. Russia has indicated it will investigate the incident but accused the Danes of performing dangerous maneuvers near Russian warships.
The incident took place on the same day that NATO fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania that had entered from Belarus.
In a statement regarding the Baltic Sea incident, the Danish Armed Forces said that flares were fired at one of their Air Force Fennec helicopters. This occurred during a routine photography operation while monitoring a Russian frigate located in international waters near Gedser. One of the two flares passed right by the helicopter.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the incident as completely unacceptable.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen accused Russia of gradually pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior and stated that the Danes would not accept this.
Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin stated officially that Moscow would investigate the circumstances of the incident and accused the Danish helicopter pilots of provocative actions. He claimed this was not the first time Danish helicopters had performed dangerous maneuvers near Russian warships; he noted that he had complained about a similar incident last year and added that the communication issues lay with the Danish side, not the Russian ships.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized on social media that Russia’s behavior was reckless and dangerous. She added that this incident, along with a drone shot down over Lithuania, was part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocations against Europe.
Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus told Reuters that the frigate’s crew had not attempted to establish contact with the helicopters.
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