Russian frigate fires flares towards Danish military helicopter

A Russian frigate fired two flares towards a Danish military helicopter sent to photograph it in international waters off Denmark on Monday, with one narrowly missing the aircraft, the Danish military said.

Moscow, for its part, accused Denmark of carrying out “dangerous maneuvers” near its ship, and said it was investigating the incident.

The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after incidents involving gas pipeline outages, airspace violations and drone sightings since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

No warning or radio contact was given before the firing of the flares, which came within “a matter of meters” of the Fennec military helicopter, Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus told Reuters.

He said the helicopter had been following a typical pattern to photograph the frigate, which he described as an operation that has been carried out many times in the past.

Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, said in a statement that Moscow would thoroughly investigate the incident, and that it was not the first time Danish military helicopters had carried out dangerous maneuvers near Russian warships in international waters. Denmark summoned him over the incident.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the incident was serious but not surprising, showing that an increasingly aggressive Russia is testing NATO.

“Russia wants to sow fear and discord. Our answer is to stand closer together and strengthen the defense of Denmark and Europe,” she said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the incident, and another on Tuesday involving a drone shot down in Lithuanian airspace, were “part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, testing our readiness and our resolve.”

Bruus said the Russians “have increased their willingness to take risks in terms of how far they are prepared to go.”

He cited a drone attack in Leipzig last month and a Russian strike on a train in Ukraine near the Polish border this week as part of the same pattern across Europe.

Bruus said Denmark was not seeking consultations under NATO’s collective defense treaty over the incident, saying that would require a more direct attack on Danish territory.

The Danish straits are the main sea route in and out of the Baltic Sea for military and commercial shipping, including Russian oil shipments.

Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service said last year that Russian warships had repeatedly sailed on collision courses with Danish vessels, targeted Danish helicopters and ships with tracking radars and pointed weapons at them in the straits.

Russia has dismissed accusations over such incidents.

丹麦军方称，周一，一艘俄罗斯护卫舰在丹麦附近国际水域向一架奉命拍照的丹麦军用直升机发射了两枚照明弹，其中一枚险些击中飞机。

莫斯科方面则指责丹麦在其舰艇附近进行“危险操作”，并表示正在调查这起事件。

自俄罗斯 2022 年全面入侵乌克兰以来，波罗的海地区发生了一系列事件，包括天然气管道中断、侵犯领空和发现无人机，该地区一直处于高度戒备状态。

国防部长杰佩·布鲁斯告诉路透社，发射照明弹之前没有发出任何警告或无线电联系，照明弹距离“小狐狸”军用直升机“只有几米远”。

他说，这架直升机当时正按照惯例拍摄这艘护卫舰，他形容这种行动过去已经进行过很多次了。

俄罗斯驻丹麦大使弗拉基米尔·巴尔宾在一份声明中表示，莫斯科将彻底调查这起事件，并指出这并非丹麦军用直升机首次在国际水域靠近俄罗斯军舰进行危险机动。丹麦已就此事召见了巴尔宾大使。

首相梅特·弗雷德里克森表示，这起事件虽然严重，但并不令人意外，这表明日益咄咄逼人的俄罗斯正在试探北约。

“俄罗斯企图散播恐惧和分裂。我们的应对之策是更加团结，加强丹麦和欧洲的防御，”她在声明中说道。

欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩表示，这起事件以及周二发生在立陶宛领空的无人机被击落事件“是俄罗斯对欧洲进行更广泛的侵略和挑衅的一部分，考验着我们的准备和决心”。

布鲁斯表示，俄罗斯人“在他们愿意走多远方面，已经提高了他们承担风险的意愿”。

他指出，上个月发生在莱比锡的无人机袭击事件和本周俄罗斯在乌克兰靠近波兰边境的火车袭击事件，都是欧洲各地发生的类似事件。

布鲁斯表示，丹麦并未就此次事件寻求根据北约集体防御条约进行磋商，称那样做需要对丹麦领土进行更直接的攻击。

丹麦海峡是波罗的海军事和商业航运（包括俄罗斯石油运输）进出的主要海上通道。

丹麦国防情报局去年表示，俄罗斯军舰曾多次与丹麦船只发生碰撞，在海峡中用跟踪雷达瞄准丹麦直升机和船只，并用武器瞄准它们。

俄罗斯否认了有关此类事件的指控。