Denmark has officially summoned the Russian ambassador following a tense mid-air confrontation in the Baltic Sea. During a routine monitoring mission on Monday, a Danish air force Fennec helicopter conducting photography of a Russian frigate in international waters was targeted by two emergency flares fired from the vessel.
Danish armed forces reported that one of the flares passed dangerously close to the aircraft. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has denounced the incident as a reckless maneuver designed to intimidate and divide, labeling the aggressive action as part of a broader pattern of provocation against European security.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen echoed these sentiments, describing the encounter as completely unacceptable and suggesting that Moscow is systematically shifting the boundaries of permissible conduct. Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus further noted that the Russian frigate crew made no effort to establish contact with the Danish helicopter prior to the incident.
In response, Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin stated that Moscow intends to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the event. However, he countered the Danish allegations by claiming the helicopter had performed provocative actions. Barbin asserted that the Danish Air Force has frequently executed dangerous maneuvers near Russian warships and argued that communication failures stem from the Danish side rather than the Russian navy.
The incident occurred on a day already marked by heightened security alerts along NATO’s eastern flank. Simultaneously, NATO fighter jets were scrambled in Lithuania to intercept and shoot down a drone that had violated the nation’s airspace shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Authorities indicated the drone likely originated from Belarus, though its exact provenance remains under investigation by the Lithuanian national crisis management centre.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the necessity of regional vigilance, stating that the nation remains committed to defending its airspace alongside NATO allies. The drone breach adds to a series of similar occurrences this year, where NATO forces have intercepted stray Ukrainian drones that drifted into Estonian and Latvian territory due to Russian electronic warfare interference.
Poland also reported heightened aviation activity within its airspace on Monday night, noting that fighter jets were deployed for preventive measures to protect territory near regions affected by ongoing strikes on Ukrainian soil. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the collective impact of these disruptions, stating that such actions reflect an intensifying trend of Russian aggression against the continent. The report also notes that where tensions remain high amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it came on the same day that Nato forces shot down a drone over Lithuania in the latest security scare on the alliance’s eastern flank. The report also notes that adding: “That is something we cannot accept, danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen accused Russia of “gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behaviour”. The report also notes that especially in areas adjacent to threatened regions”, it said the overnight operations were of a “preventive nature” and aimed at “securing airspace and its protection.
