A Russian naval vessel fired two emergency flares towards a Danish military helicopter operating over international waters in the Baltic Sea, prompting Copenhagen to summon Moscow’s ambassador and warn that Russia was testing the limits of acceptable behaviour.
The incident took place on Monday during what Denmark described as a routine monitoring operation involving a Danish Fennec helicopter following and photographing a Russian frigate near Gedser, on Denmark’s southern coast.
According to the Danish armed forces, one of the two flares passed close to the helicopter.
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“One of the air force’s Fennec helicopters was today fired at with flares during a routine photographic operation of a Russian frigate, which was located in international waters off Gedser,” the Danish armed forces said.
The Danish foreign ministry described the incident as “completely unacceptable”, while Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the Russian action “reckless” and said it was intended to “intimidate and divide”.
Copenhagen has summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident, underlining the sensitivity of military encounters between NATO members and Russian forces in the Baltic.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen accused Moscow of “gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behaviour”.
“That is something we cannot accept,” he added.
The episode comes as NATO countries around the Baltic Sea increase surveillance and military readiness in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and concerns over the security of the alliance’s eastern flank.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said the region needed to remain prepared as Russian military activity continued.
“With Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness is vital for our region. Together with our NATO Allies, Lithuania will defend its airspace,” he wrote on X.
Moscow has disputed Copenhagen’s account of the confrontation.
Russia has accused Danish military helicopters of carrying out dangerous manoeuvres close to its warships in the Baltic, according to the state-owned RIA news agency.
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, said Moscow had issued an official note to Copenhagen complaining about such incidents, according to the agency.
His comments came after the Danish military said the Russian frigate had fired the two flares towards its helicopter in international waters, with one passing narrowly from the aircraft.
The competing accounts illustrate the increasingly compressed operating environment in the Baltic, where military aircraft and naval vessels from Russia and Nato states are conducting surveillance and patrol missions in close proximity.
For European governments, the concern is not simply that individual encounters may become more confrontational, but that repeated incidents could increase the risk of miscalculation between Russian forces and NATO members.
Denmark’s response reflects the wider effort among Nordic and Baltic states to establish clear boundaries around military activity while avoiding an escalation that could trigger a direct confrontation with Moscow.
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