DR maps possible route of Russian warship before helicopter incident
Tuesday 15th September 2026 on 17:15 in
Denmark
Satellite images and AIS data indicate a possible route for the Russian warship involved in Monday’s helicopter incident, according to an analysis by DR Verificerer.
The Russian Embassy has confirmed that a Russian military vessel was involved after the frigate fired two signal flares following a Danish military helicopter.
A review of AIS signals from ships in the Baltic Sea on Monday found no Russian warship broadcasting an active signal. The vessel had therefore most likely switched off its signal and attempted to avoid detection before the incident.
DR Verificerer combined data from MarineTraffic, a website that tracks ships’ AIS signals, with satellite images to reconstruct a possible route. The analysis followed the movements of the German coastguard vessel Neustadt and the Danish patrol vessel P523 Najaden.
The Danish ship sailed from the coast of Bornholm and at one point travelled alongside the German vessel. The Danish ship then turned around, while the German vessel continued west.
The two ships’ movements could resemble a method used by Danish and German vessels to track a foreign warship, according to Kenneth Øhlenschlæger Buhl, a military analyst and former naval officer.
“Based on your video, it could look as though one vessel followed the Russian ship, after which the other took over,” Buhl said.
A satellite image taken at about 7.32am on Monday shows a larger unidentified vessel ahead of the Danish and German ships as they travelled alongside each other. The vessel had its signal switched off and is estimated from the images to have been about 90 to 110 metres long.
The unidentified vessel was travelling in the westbound shipping lane towards the waters south of Falster, apparently in the direction of where the helicopter incident took place.
DR Verificerer cannot confirm that the vessel was the Russian frigate that fired the signal flares at the Danish helicopter.
Russian ships and frigates regularly sail in international waters and pass Denmark. Buhl said he had also helped monitor Russian vessels passing Denmark during his time in the Danish Navy, but that the current security situation meant Russian vessels were receiving particular attention.