Europe Condemns Russia's Behavior After Accusations of Targeting Danish Helicopter

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia's "unresponsible and dangerous" behavior on Tuesday after Denmark accused Moscow of firing two flares toward a Danish helicopter and downing a NATO drone in Lithuania.

Speaking on the platform X, the European Commission President said: "Once again, Europe finds itself facing Russia's irresponsible and dangerous conduct."

In a post published on the platform, she added: "These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation against Europe, aimed at testing our readiness and the strength of our resolve."

She continued: "Russia will see that our resolve will only grow stronger."

Denmark accused Russia on Tuesday of firing two flares toward a Danish helicopter conducting a mission over the Baltic Sea.

According to the Danish military, the incident occurred Monday evening off the coast of Gedser in southernmost Denmark.

The military confirmed in a statement that a Russian warship targeted one of its helicopters, explaining it was carrying out routine surveillance near a Russian frigate moored in international waters at the time of the attack.

It added that the frigate fired "two flares toward the helicopter, one of which passed close by."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a post on X: "Russian actions aim to intimidate and sow division, but they will not succeed. We will not back down."

Reciprocal Accusations

In response, Moscow quickly shifted blame onto Denmark.

Russian ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin denounced "provocative maneuvers" conducted by the Danish helicopter over the Baltic Sea, denying it was conducting "routine training," according to a statement sent to AFP.

He stated: "This latest incident proves that communication problems do not originate from Russian naval vessels, but from the Danish side."

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen rejected these arguments, affirming that monitoring the neighborhood is "completely legal."

Tensions in the Baltic Sea have sharply escalated since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Denmark, a NATO member and repeated supporter of Ukraine, has accused Russia multiple times of carrying out multi-domain operations on its territory.