Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Denmark's ambassador in Moscow and lodged a strong protest over a mid-September Baltic Sea incident involving a Russian warship and a Danish military Fennec helicopter.
Denmark's armed forces said the helicopter was carrying out a routine photographic mission near the Russian frigate in international waters off Denmark when the ship fired two flares towards it. Moscow disputes that account.
The Russian ministry described the helicopter's manoeuvres as unprofessional and provocative, saying it approached dangerously and flew over the vessel below 50 metres. Moscow said the ship's crew repeatedly issued warnings on international frequencies and that they were ignored.
Russia said the flares were fired away from, rather than towards, the aircraft. It also accused Denmark of violating maritime-law conventions and called Danish allegations unfounded.
Denmark reported the encounter on September 14. Russia later confirmed its crew fired the flares, saying it acted to prevent a provocation. Moscow warned that a repeat could escalate tensions and risk a serious incident. The accounts remain disputed, and the source report offered no independent confirmation of the contested details.