PM condemns Russian frigate’s signal flares at Danish helicopter
Denmark Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has condemned a Russian frigate’s firing of signal flares at a Danish military helicopter, calling it part of an increasingly aggressive and assertive Russian approach to Europe, DR reported.
The frigate fired two signal flares on Monday at a Danish Fennec helicopter conducting a routine flight to photograph the vessel in international waters off Gedser. One flare passed close to the helicopter, but neither the crew nor the aircraft was hit.
“Russia wants to scare us and sow division,” Frederiksen said in a written comment. “Our response is to stand closer together and strengthen the defence of Denmark and Europe.”
She said the incident reflected a broader pattern in which Russia was intensifying its hybrid war against Europe and testing and challenging NATO.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the incident could have “put human lives at risk”. He said Denmark was working to ensure that all shipping could pass peacefully through Danish waters, but that Russia was gradually moving the boundary of what it considered acceptable behaviour.
“We cannot accept that,” Rasmussen said.
Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus also described the incident as serious and said Russia’s ambassador would be summoned for a meeting.
“We want to send a very clear signal that we take this seriously,” Bruus said. He added that, at best, the incident could be attributed to poor seamanship, since there were many ways to contact a helicopter.
Bruus said there was nothing unusual about the Danish helicopter’s mission, which involved photographing and observing a warship operating close to Denmark. He said he did not want to speculate about the reason for the Russian reaction.
The defence minister has also summoned defence spokespeople from the parties covered by the defence agreement to a briefing on the incident. According to information obtained by DR, the briefing is scheduled to take place at 10am at the Defence Ministry.