Denmark says Russian warship fired flares at military helicopter

Denmark has accused a Russian warship of firing two emergency flares at one of its helicopters while the helicopter was conducting routine monitoring operations in the Baltic Sea, according to a statement released by the Danish armed forces. The incident occurred on Monday when the helicopter was tracking the Russian frigate in international waters off Gedser.

Denmark's government has summoned the Russian ambassador in response to the incident, which Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described as "reckless" and intended to "intimidate and divide." Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin stated that Moscow would "thoroughly investigate all the circumstances of the incident" but accused the Danish helicopter of "provocative actions."

The Danish armed forces detailed that one of the flares passed close to the helicopter, while the other flare did not. Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen condemned the incident, stating that Russia was "gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behavior," which Denmark cannot accept. This incident occurred on the same day that NATO forces shot down a drone over Lithuania, adding to the growing security concerns on the alliance's eastern flank amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.