▲ Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen
A Russian warship fired two emergency flares toward a Danish helicopter in the Baltic Sea on the 14th (local time), Danish authorities said.
According to AFP and Reuters, the Danish military issued a statement late that night explaining that "while an Air Force Fennec helicopter was carrying out a routine photography mission targeting a Russian frigate located in international waters off Gedser, it came under flare attack," adding that "one of the two flares fired by the vessel in question passed close to the helicopter."
Danish Defense Minister Jepe Bruus stated that there was no warning or radio communication prior to the firing of the flares, and that the flares approached to within just a few meters of the helicopter.
Minister Bruus explained that the helicopter was following its standard flight path to photograph the Russian patrol vessel, noting that this was an operation that had been carried out numerous times in the past.
Immediately following the incident, Danish authorities summoned Vladimir Barbin, the Russian ambassador to Denmark, to lodge a protest.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen warned, "This is completely unacceptable and could have even led to loss of life," adding, "Russia is gradually expanding the boundaries of behavior it considers acceptable."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also strongly condemned the incident, calling it a "reckless act."
Prime Minister Frederiksen emphasized on her X (formerly Twitter) account, "Such acts are intended to threaten and divide, but they will not succeed," adding, "We will not be shaken."
In response, Ambassador Barbin stated that "Russia will thoroughly investigate all the circumstances of this incident," while maintaining that "this is not the first time that a Danish Air Force helicopter has engaged in dangerous maneuvers near a Russian warship in international waters outside territorial waters."
Ambassador Barbin claimed that on August 27 of last year, a Danish Air Force helicopter hovered at low altitude above the Russian Navy's anti-submarine destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov, and that he had protested this to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time.
He went on to say, "The Danish side's attitude of trying to explain the helicopter's provocative actions against a Russian warship as 'routine' raises serious concerns about the consequences that such reckless behavior could cause."
Meanwhile, just after midnight on the 15th, an unidentified drone violated the airspace of Lithuania, which faces the Baltic Sea, prompting the scramble of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fighter jets.
The drone, suspected to have crossed over from Russia's ally Belarus, was shot down by NATO fighter jets near Kaunas, Lithuania's second-largest city.
Amid ongoing drone exchanges between Ukraine and Russia, unidentified drones have repeatedly appeared in Eastern and Northern Europe near the two countries, heightening tensions.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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