“It is part of the pattern we see throughout Europe,” warned Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Tuesday morning after the maritime incident.
“With an increasingly aggressive and assertive Russia, that has intensified the hybrid war against Europe. And that tests and challenges NATO. Russia wants to intimidate and sow discord. Our response is to stand closer together and strengthen the defense of Denmark and Europe,” she added.
Denmark will drag in the Russian ambassador to explain the crew’s actions, a senior official in Copenhagen announced Tuesday morning.
“The armed forces report that one of the air force’s helicopters was fired upon with so-called flares in connection with routine photographic coverage of a Russian frigate in the waters off Gedser. This is completely unacceptable. Therefore, Russia’s ambassador has been summoned for a conversation about the incident,” said Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister.