A Russian warship fires two flares at a Danish helicopter in the Baltic Sea

A Russian warship fired two flares towards a Danish helicopter in the Baltic Sea, while Copenhagen summoned the Russian ambassador due to the incident, Danish officials announced on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday, the same day that NATO fighters shot down a drone over Lithuania, in the latest security incident to occur on the alliance’s eastern flank during the Russian war in Ukraine, according to what was published by Agence France-Presse.

The Danish Armed Forces said in a statement issued late on Monday: “Today, one of the Air Force’s Vinnik helicopters was exposed to the firing of flares while carrying out a routine photographic operation of a Russian frigate that was present in international waters off Gedser.”

She added that the frigate fired “two flare bombs towards the helicopter, one of which passed close to the helicopter.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løke Rasmussen said on Tuesday in a statement: “This is completely unacceptable, and could have put human lives in danger.” He added: “Therefore, I summoned the Russian ambassador to discuss the incident.”

“Russia is gradually changing the boundaries of what it considers acceptable behavior,” Rasmussen warned. He added: “This is something we cannot accept.”

For her part, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a post on the X platform, “The Russian actions aim to intimidate and sow division, but they will not succeed.” "We will not back down."

Danish media reported that Defense Minister Ybe Bros summoned representatives of the parties in Parliament to hold a meeting at his ministry headquarters and inform them of the details of the incident.

Tensions in the Baltic Sea have escalated sharply since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Denmark, a NATO member and supporter of Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out multi-media operations on its territory.

In the fall of 2025, a number of drones penetrated Denmark's airspace, causing the suspension of air traffic and the closure of airports, including Copenhagen Airport, the largest airport in Northern Europe.

Incidents of flying unidentified drones began just days after Denmark announced, for the first time, the acquisition of long-range precision weapons, a move it attributed to the threat posed by Russia “for the coming years.”

While investigators were unable to determine who was responsible for flying the drones, Frederiksen pointed the finger of blame at Russia.

In September, Danish intelligence said that Moscow was “actively preparing to carry out sabotage operations” targeting the country’s defense industry.

Intelligence reported to Agence France-Presse that Russia was recruiting “ordinary Danes” through social media to take photos that could be used to plan acts of sabotage.

The Scandinavian country also accused hacker groups linked to the Russian state of launching cyber attacks against Denmark.