Russia Says Danish Military Helicopters Risked Collision Near Its Warships
Incident Details and Diplomatic Response
MOSCOW, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Russia has accused Danish military helicopters of making dangerous manoeuvres near its warships in the Baltic Sea and handed an official note to Copenhagen complaining about such incidents, Russia's ambassador to Denmark said on Tuesday, according to Russia's RIA state news agency.
Events Leading to the Complaint
Vladimir Barbin, the ambassador, was speaking after the Nordic NATO member's military said that a Russian frigate had fired two flares towards a Danish military helicopter in international waters off Denmark on Monday, narrowly missing the aircraft.
Russia's Accusations and Demands
RIA cited Barbin as blaming Denmark for the episode.
“I demanded that the Danish side take the necessary measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future, and handed over a note to that effect,” it cited Barbin as saying.
Kremlin's Position
Asked about the matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have details and was not in a position to comment.
Previous Similar Incidents
Barbin, the ambassador, was quoted by RIA as saying he had complained about another similar incident last year.
Details of the 2025 Incident
"In September 2025, during a meeting at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was forced to draw attention to dangerous fly-bys and low-altitude hovering carried out on 27 August by a Danish Air Force helicopter over the large anti-submarine ship ‘Vice-Admiral Kulakov’," RIA quoted him as saying.
Collision Risks and Communication Issues
Such manoeuvres posed a collision risk and could have interfered with the Russian ship’s equipment, he added, saying the helicopter had not established radio contact or responded to warnings at the time.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Andrew Osborn )
