Russian frigate fires flares at Danish helicopter – diplomatic dispute escalates

There are still no pictures of the incident on Monday on the Baltic Sea. But the shelling of a Danish helicopter with flares by a Russian frigate now has diplomatic repercussions: Denmark summoned the Russian ambassador.

Danish Radio published a written statement by Vladimir Barbin. In it, Russia's ambassador in Copenhagen explains that the crew of the military helicopter deliberately provoked the frigate, which was in international waters. He accused the crew of being reckless.

Sharp criticism from Denmark and the EU

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen rejected this accusation: "Of course we are not. What we are doing to monitor our own local area is completely legal," he said. "It doesn't give the Russians the right to shoot at us, even if it's just flares."

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the shelling, calling it a targeted aggression and provocation. The incident will only strengthen NATO's resolve for collective deterrence and defense.

On Monday, a Russian frigate fired flares at a Danish helicopter that was said to be near the ship. Danish radio released a video this afternoon showing a similar incident with a Russian research vessel in early September. A helicopter of the same type approached within a few meters and circled directly above the ship. According to Danish Radio, the Danish Ministry of Defense did not want to comment on this.

Denmark and the Russian Shadow Fleet

Tensions between Russia and Denmark had recently increased, also because Denmark had detained tankers from the Russian shadow fleet several times. These transport Russian oil, which Moscow also uses to finance the war against Ukraine.

Niels Fastrup, an investigative journalist at Danish Radio, described the Russian navy's increasing presence in the Baltic Sea as a direct response to the tankers' detention: "Russia responded by launching a major naval operation in which the Baltic Sea, the Kattegat, the Danish shipping lanes, the North Sea and also the English Channel were divided into so-called patrol zones."

Fastrup explained that a Russian warship resides more or less permanently in each of these zones. It is tasked with preventing the tankers from being boarded. The Danish journalist says he bases his research on documents from several defense ministries in Scandinavia and Finland.