Russia says it was Danish pilots being provocative, in a war of words that's becoming a pattern along NATO's eastern edge
A Russian warship has fired two emergency flares at a helicopter in the Baltic Sea, with the Russian ambassador summoned over the incident, Danish officials reported.
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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," Danish armed forces said in a statement.
The frigate had fired "two flares towards the helicopter. One of the flares passed at close range to the helicopter."
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the incident as "reckless".
"Reckless action from Russia towards Danish military during a routine overflight yesterday. Russian actions are meant to intimidate and divide. They will not succeed. We will not waver," Frederiksen said in a statement on X.
Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said "Russia is gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behaviour," he warned.
"That is something we cannot accept," he said.
"Russia's ambassador has therefore been summoned for a discussion about the incident."
Moscow blames Danish pilots
However, Vladimir Barbin, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, responded blaming the helicopter pilots.
"The Danish side's attempts to explain the helicopter's provocative actions against the Russian frigate as 'routine practice' give rise to serious concern about the possible consequences of such recklessness," Barbin said in written statement to AFP.
"The Russian side will thoroughly investigate all the circumstances of the incident," Barbin said while adding that "this is not the first time that Danish Air Force helicopters have carried out dangerous manoeuvres near Russian warships, when they were at sea and outside Denmark's territorial waters."
The ambassador claimed last year he informed the Danish foreign ministry of "dangerous flyovers and low-altitude hovering" by a Danish Air Force helicopter over a large anti-submarine vessel.
The incident coincides with Lithuania's foreign minister confirming an allied fighter jet destroyed a drone that crossed into the country's airspace from Belarus on Tuesday.