The Russian ambassador to Denmark has accused a Danish military helicopter of acting “provocatively” before a Russian frigate fired two signal flares towards it in international waters off Gedser. Copenhagen has rejected Moscow’s version of the incident, insisting that the helicopter was conducting a legal and routine monitoring mission.
Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin made the accusation in a written statement to DR on Tuesday, one day after the confrontation in the Baltic Sea. TV 2 subsequently published his full statement.
“The Danish side’s attempts to explain the helicopter’s provocative actions against the Russian frigate as ‘routine practice’ raise serious concerns about the possible consequences of such recklessness,” Barbin said.
The ambassador said Russia would investigate all the circumstances surrounding Monday’s incident and claimed it was not the first confrontation involving Danish military helicopters operating near Russian warships.
Russian ambassador points to an earlier helicopter incident
In his full statement, Barbin referred to an alleged encounter involving a Danish military helicopter and the Russian anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov on 27 August 2025.
According to the ambassador, the Danish helicopter carried out low-altitude flyovers and hovered above the Russian vessel while it was sailing east of the German island of Fehmarn.
Barbin claimed the manoeuvres created a risk of collision and could have interfered with equipment aboard the Russian ship. He also alleged that the Danish crew did not establish radio contact with the vessel and failed to respond to warnings.
The ambassador said he raised the episode during a meeting at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Udenrigsministeriet) in September 2025, when he asked Copenhagen to prevent similar incidents and delivered a diplomatic note.
These details form part of the Russian account of the 2025 encounter. They do not establish that Denmark accepted Moscow’s description of what happened.
Barbin used the earlier episode to argue that Monday’s confrontation was part of a broader problem.
“The latest incident shows that the communication problems do not lie with the vessels of the Russian Navy, but with the Danish side,” he said.
Russia says Denmark rejected measures to prevent incidents
Barbin also accused Denmark of failing to pursue measures designed to reduce the possibility of military incidents at sea.
According to the ambassador, Russia has repeatedly proposed discussing an agreement on the prevention of incidents at sea that would cover both maritime areas and the airspace above them.
He claimed these proposals had been firmly rejected by Copenhagen.
“It is regrettable that the Danish side has no interest, and has never had any interest, in preventing the situation at sea from escalating and in implementing confidence-building measures,” Barbin said.
The statement represents the Russian government’s account of relations with Denmark and its previous diplomatic proposals. Copenhagen has not confirmed in the material available so far Barbin’s description of those discussions.
Denmark rejects Russian claims of provocation
The dispute follows an incident on Monday, 14 September, when a Russian frigate fired two flares towards a Danish Air Force (Flyvevåbnet) Fennec helicopter off Gedser, at the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster.
According to the Danish Armed Forces (Forsvaret), the helicopter was carrying out routine photographic surveillance of the Russian vessel in international waters. One of the two flares passed at a short distance from the aircraft.
No crew members were injured and the helicopter was not damaged.
Foreign Minister (Udenrigsminister) Lars Løkke Rasmussen rejected Barbin’s allegation that Denmark had provoked the Russian vessel.
“Of course we haven’t,” he told DR, arguing that Denmark’s monitoring of its surrounding area was entirely legal and gave Russia no justification for firing flares towards the helicopter.
Løkke Rasmussen described Moscow’s explanation as a “Russian sea story”, a Danish expression for an implausible excuse.
Defence Minister (Forsvarsminister) Jeppe Bruus also rejected the suggestion that the Danish helicopter had acted improperly.
“The frigate is in international waters, and the helicopter has a completely legitimate reason to be there as well. It is completely normal practice,” Bruus said after briefing parties in the Danish Parliament (Folketinget).
Barbin summoned by Danish foreign ministry
Denmark has summoned Vladimir Barbin to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the confrontation.
The Danish government has described the firing of the signal flares as serious and potentially dangerous. It has also stressed that the Armed Forces will continue monitoring foreign military vessels operating near Denmark.
The disagreement now extends beyond the circumstances of Monday’s incident. Moscow argues that Danish military helicopters have previously operated dangerously around Russian ships and that Copenhagen has rejected mechanisms intended to prevent similar confrontations. Denmark, by contrast, maintains that its monitoring operations are lawful and routine and that Russia had no justification for its response.
The competing accounts underline the difficulty of managing encounters between Russian and NATO military assets in the Baltic Sea. Even when ships and aircraft remain in international waters and airspace, disagreements over surveillance, safe distances and communication can create conditions in which a routine monitoring operation develops into a diplomatic and military confrontation.
