Russia · updated 27m ago · 2 min read
Russian Frigate Fires Flares Toward Danish Fennec Helicopter Off Gedser, Denmark Summons Ambassador
A Russian frigate fired two emergency flares at a Danish military helicopter near Gedser. One flare passed close to the helicopter; Denmark summoned Moscow's ambassador over the incident.
Who is responsible for the near miss.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: russian ambassador says Danish helicopter lacked radio contact during flare incident.
35outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
Al Jazeera
““dangerous manoeuvres” taken by the Danish aircraft were to blame for the Baltic Sea incident.”Read the original ↗
BBC
“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen branded the Russian action "reckless" and said it was designed to "intimidate and divide".”Read the original ↗
BBC emphasises Russia firing flares as reckless intimidation, while Al Jazeera quotes Russia blaming Danish manoeuvres for the incident.
Flares and a Drone
A Russian frigate fired two flares toward a Danish military helicopter conducting routine photographic coverage in international waters off Gedser, and Denmark said one flare passed within "a matter of metres" of the Fennec helicopter.
“No warning or radio contact was given before the firing of the flares”
Denmark summoned Russia’s ambassador, and Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus told Reuters there was no warning or radio contact before the flares were fired.
In a separate incident on NATO’s eastern flank, NATO jets shot down a drone over Lithuania, with the drone destroyed near the village of Pratkūnai, about 60 miles northwest of Vilnius.
Lithuanian Air Force Commander Antanas Matutis said the recovered drone was "likely" carrying explosives, and Lithuanian officials said it most likely entered from neighboring Belarus and remained in the country’s airspace for about 30 minutes before it was intercepted.
Competing Blame
Russia warned Denmark to avoid "reckless" action, with Moscow’s ambassador in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, insisting that "dangerous manoeuvres" taken by the Danish aircraft were to blame for the Baltic Sea incident.
Barbin told state news agency RIA Novosti that he delivered a formal note demanding steps to prevent a repeat, and he said the helicopter’s actions were provocative while raising "serious concern about the possible consequences of such recklessness".
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the incident as "reckless" and said Russian actions were meant to intimidate and divide, adding, "They will not succeed. We will not waver".
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen accused Russia of "gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behaviour," and said "That is something we cannot accept."
NATO, Ukraine, and Risk
The flare incident and the drone downing were framed by NATO and European leaders as part of a broader pattern, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the events were "part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe".
“This incident – together with the drone over Lithuania – was "part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe"”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned in Brussels that strikes "close to NATO territory" would drive the 32-nation bloc to increase its support for Ukraine, and he said Russia was "growing increasingly reckless" in its war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was "ready to support de-escalation" if the United States could ensure "Russia is genuinely ready to stop this war," while also saying Moscow continued to attack Ukraine’s energy sector, logistics and critical infrastructure.
In Ukraine, Russian drone strikes killed three people in Kyiv, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, and Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s forces struck an oil refinery in Syzran and targeted a drone production facility in Taganrog.