Russian Frigate Launches Flares at NATO Helicopter
A Russian Navy frigate had a tense encounter with a Danish military helicopter in recent days, starting with close surveillance and ending with the Russian crew firing flares at the aircraft.
In a brief statement Monday, the Danish military (Forsvaret) said that one of its Fennec small helicopters was on patrol near a Russian frigate in international waters off Gedser - near the southern approaches to the Great Belt - when it had an unexpected interaction. The helicopter was engaged in routine photo surveillance of the Russian warship, the department said, when the vessel's crew decided to fire two flares at the aircraft.
One flare passed near the helicopter, indicating that the aircraft was within the relatively limited range of emergency flare launchers.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen characterized the Russian crew's response as "reckless."
"Reckless action from Russia towards Danish military during a routine overflight yesterday. Russian actions are meant to intimidate and divide. They will not succeed. We will not waver," she said in a statement.
Foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement that the interaction was unacceptable and said that the Russian ambassador had been summoned.
In response, Russian ambassador to Copenhagen Vladimir Barbin accused the Danish helicopter aircrew of maneuvering dangerously. "I demanded that the Danish side take the necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future, and handed over a note to that effect," he told Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
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Barbin noted that a similar incident occurred at the about the same time last year.
