NATO condemns Russia's actions after incident with Danish helicopter

NATO called Russia's actions irresponsible after a Russian frigate fired two signal flares at a Danish military helicopter in international waters near Gedser.

This was stated by NATO spokesperson Allyson Hart in a comment to the Danish agency Ritzau, which was reported by TV2.

The Alliance stressed that it views the incident as another example of Russia's irresponsible behavior. NATO's statement came after Danish authorities sharply condemned the incident and summoned the Russian ambassador.

The incident occurred on September 14. A Fennec helicopter of the Danish Air Force was carrying out a routine mission to photograph a Russian frigate located in international waters near Gedser.

According to the Danish Armed Forces, the Russian ship fired two signal flares in the direction of the helicopter. One of them passed at a short distance from the aircraft. No injuries or damage to the helicopter were reported.

Danish military clarified that these were pyrotechnic signaling devices commonly used at sea to attract attention. At the same time, Danish Minister of Defense Jeppe Bruus said that before launching them, the Russian ship did not attempt to contact the helicopter crew.

Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen also called Russia's actions irresponsible. According to her, such steps by Moscow are aimed at intimidation and attempts to create divisions between allies.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the incident completely unacceptable and said that such actions could have endangered human lives. After the incident, the Danish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.

In Copenhagen, they did not announce any intention to invoke Articles 4 or 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Danish authorities consider the episode a serious incident and continue to discuss it with allies.

Based on materials from: TV2 / Ritzau, Danish Armed Forces