Russian frigate fires flares at Danish military helicopter in the Baltic Sea
On Monday in the Baltic Sea near the Danish town of Gedser, a Russian military frigate fired two flares toward a Danish Air Force helicopter. Denmark called the incident serious and summoned Russia's ambassador for an explanation.
On Monday, September 14, an incident occurred in international waters near the Danish town of Gedser between a Russian military frigate and a Danish Air Force “AS-550 Fennec” helicopter, the Danish Armed Forces reported.
According to the information provided, the Danish helicopter had been photographing the Russian frigate at the time. In response, the Russian ship fired two so-called flares — pyrotechnic signal rockets — toward the helicopter. One of them passed at a very short distance from the aircraft.
No one was injured in the incident, and the helicopter sustained no damage. However, Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus described the incident as serious, noting that nothing like it had ever been experienced before. According to him, the event shows that Russia's threshold for risk-taking has shifted.
Diplomatic response
Although there was no direct collision or injuries, the situation created a risk for the Danish servicemembers who were carrying out their task in international airspace at the time. Following the incident, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to summon Russia's ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, for talks to obtain an explanation of the frigate's actions.
Minister Bruus stated that, in his view, the Russian warship's conduct was highly unprofessional. At the same time, he emphasized that the Danish Armed Forces would continue carrying out their tasks in international waters and airspace going forward.
