Russian Frigate Fires Two Flares at Danish Helicopter in Baltic Sea

A Russian frigate fired two signal flares at a Danish Air Force helicopter while it was flying near the island of Falster in the Baltic Sea.

The Danish Armed Forces reported the incident.

The incident occurred during a routine flight by a Danish Fennec helicopter, which was photographing the Russian frigate.

The Russian vessel was in international waters near Gedser, at the southern tip of the island of Falster.

At that moment, the frigate fired two flares. One of them passed close to the Danish helicopter. The crew was unharmed, and the aircraft sustained no damage.

Signal flares are typically used at sea to attract attention or send signals.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the incident serious and said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon the Russian ambassador for an explanation.

According to him, such an incident had never happened before.

However, this is not the first time Russian vessels have behaved aggressively. In June 2026, for example, the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a British yacht in the English Channel.

Before the incident, the Russian vessel was escorted through the English Channel by two Royal Navy River-class patrol ships – HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Russian Baltic Fleet patrol ship Neustrashimyy (SKR 772) conducted live-fire exercises in the English Channel near the UK coast.

The firing took place in July 2026.

The Russian vessel was operating in international waters under the escort of the British patrol ship HMS Tyne.