Russian warship fires flares at Danish helicopter
Denmark has summoned Russia's ambassador over a Baltic Sea encounter that Copenhagen says is part of an increasingly aggressive pattern of Russian behavior.
A Russian warship discharged two flares at a Danish military helicopter in the Baltic Sea, with one flare coming extremely close to the aircraft, according to Denmark's armed forces. This incident occurred amid heightened security concerns along NATO's eastern flank, as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the event as part of a wider pattern of aggressive Russian behavior in Europe.
She accused Moscow of intensifying its hybrid war against Europe, testing and challenging NATO, and called for European nations to bolster their defenses. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen condemned the incident as "completely unacceptable" and summoned Russia's ambassador, emphasizing that such actions could have endangered lives.
The foreign minister stated that Moscow is gradually shifting the boundaries of what it considers acceptable behavior. The Danish Fennec helicopter was conducting routine photographic reconnaissance off the coast of Gedser, a Danish port on the Baltic Sea, when the confrontation took place. No one on board was injured. This incident follows a series of growing tensions in NATO's eastern sector, with Poland repeatedly scrambling fighter jets during Russian attacks on Ukraine and reporting incursions by Russian drones into its airspace.
NATO members in the region have heightened air patrols and other defenses due to Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine, heightening fears of direct confrontations between Russian and alliance forces.
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