A Danish military helicopter was targeted with flares from a Russian frigate while flying off the coast of Gedser, a city in southeastern Denmark on the Baltic Sea near the German coast. The incident, which occurred in international waters, has raised concerns in Denmark, and the Ministry of Defense has summoned the Russian ambassador for talks about the incident, according to breaking news reports in Danish media and local sources.
The Russian frigate fired two flares towards a Danish Fennec helicopter belonging to the Air Force, while the helicopter was carrying out a routine photography and surveillance mission of a Russian frigate that was in international waters off Gedsar.
The Danish Armed Forces confirmed that the frigate launched two flares in the direction of the helicopter, and that one of them passed close to it. They explained that these flares are pyrotechnic devices typically used to signal attention at sea, but the Armed Forces have not yet provided further details about the incident.
What happened off the coast of Gidser?
According to the Danish Armed Forces, the incident occurred on Monday when a Danish Air Force Fennec helicopter was conducting a routine reconnaissance mission of a Russian frigate in international waters off Gedsør. During the mission, the Russian frigate fired two flares in the direction of the helicopter, one of which passed close to it.
The Danish Armed Forces have not yet explained why the flares were released or whether the helicopter made any maneuvers in response to the incident, nor have they revealed the exact distance at which one of the flares passed the helicopter.
The armed forces announced that they currently have no further comments regarding the incident.
Escalation in Russian risks, according to the Minister of Defense
Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus said that Denmark is taking the incident very seriously, considering it a serious event.
Broos explained that, to his knowledge, this was the first time Denmark had witnessed an incident of this kind, adding that the incident indicated, in his assessment, that the Russian side had become more willing to take risks.
The minister said this development was one of the reasons for the decision to summon the Russian ambassador for talks with Danish authorities.
Denmark summons Russian ambassador
The Danish Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the Russian ambassador in connection with the incident, a fact confirmed by Defense Minister Jeppe Broos to the Ritzau news agency.
Broos said the incident reflects, in his view, a shift in the boundaries regarding the level of risk that Russia has become willing to tolerate.
He also described the Russian side's behavior as "highly unprofessional" from a maritime perspective, noting that Danish authorities would follow up on the matter and take further action.
The minister rules out resorting to Articles 4 and 5 of NATO.
The Danish Defense Minister has ruled out, for the time being, resorting to Article 4 or Article 5 of the NATO treaty because of the helicopter incident.
Broos said that Denmark does not see the situation as having reached a level that warrants activating either of the two articles, but he stressed at the same time that the authorities are taking the incident very seriously.
He added that there are many ways to contact a helicopter if there is an objection to its presence or proximity to a ship, considering that firing flares in its direction is an unprofessional act.
Article 4 allows member states to hold consultations when a member state believes its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened, while Article 5 stipulates the principle of collective defense, whereby an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all members of the alliance.
A Danish expert suggests the message is a warning, and this is what it means.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, an associate professor at the Institute for Strategy and War Studies at the Danish Defence Academy, suggested that the flares were a warning shot or a message to demonstrate a clear Russian stance towards the Danish helicopter, according to TV2. Jakobsen, as quoted by the Danish news agency Ritzau, said that the possible Russian message could be understood as «Don’t film us, and don’t fly near us.».
He explained that flares are luminous fire devices commonly used as signals to attract attention at sea, according to information provided by the Danish Armed Forces.
The incident is under investigation, and there are questions without answers.
Despite the Danish Armed Forces confirming that the incident occurred, a number of basic questions remain unanswered.
Among the most prominent of these questions are the reason for launching the flares towards the helicopter, the actual danger of the situation to its crew, what happened immediately after launching the flares, in addition to the official Russian account of the incident. The official Russian account, the reason for launching the flares, and what happened immediately after the incident remain among the most prominent points that have not yet been clarified.
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