Expert: Denmark would call similar helicopter move aggressive provocation

Denmark would probably describe a similar incident involving a Russian helicopter near a Danish ship as an aggressive provocation, a defence adviser told DR. The comments follow criticism from the prime minister and defence minister after a Russian warship fired two signal flares at a Danish Fennec helicopter on Monday.

Jeppe Teglskov Jacobsen, an adviser at the National Defence Technology Centre, said the Russian response may not have been as extreme as it sounded.

If a Danish frigate were sailing in international waters and a Russian helicopter flew relatively close to it, Denmark would probably also feel provoked, he said.

Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said the flares were fired because the Danish military helicopter had acted provocatively towards the Russian vessel. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen rejected the suggestion that Denmark had provoked the warship.

German authorities identified the vessel as the corvette Soobrazitelny, a small frigate.

It is difficult to assess whether the helicopter’s conduct could be interpreted as provocative, Teglskov Jacobsen said. However, he added that signal flares should not normally be the first response.

In such a situation, the usual approach would be to establish contact and say that the other vessel or aircraft was too close. If no one answered, a signal flare could be used to indicate that the helicopter should go no further, he said.

The incident took place in international waters off Gedser. No images show how close the Danish helicopter was to the Russian warship during the routine photography mission.

Video sent to DR from September 1 shows what appears to be a Danish helicopter flying near the Russian vessel Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the North Sea. The footage was recorded by Frank Olesen while he was travelling from Kristiansand to Hirtshals.

DR defence correspondent Mads Korsager said the helicopter appeared to be a Fennec, although its colour, markings and identification number could not be seen.

Military analyst and Danish Navy commander Jens Krogsgård Møller said Denmark would also regard such a helicopter visit as provocative, but would be unlikely to respond by firing signal flares.

The Danish Navy would first try other ways of signalling and would use flares only as one of the final options, he said. Firing near an aircraft could create an even more dangerous situation if the helicopter were hit.

One of the flares fired by the Russian vessel passed close to the helicopter, but neither the crew nor the aircraft was harmed.

Krogsgård Møller said the Russians had wanted to send both a tactical signal in the immediate situation and a broader message. He also noted that the aftermath in Russia differed significantly from how Denmark would have handled a similar incident.

According to Reuters, Russia’s Defence Ministry said the Russian captain who fired the two flares received an award the following day. Krogsgård Møller said he would be very surprised if a Danish ship commander received an award from the prime minister for firing two signal flares at a Russian helicopter.