Russia Rewards Captain Who Fired Flares at Danish Helicopter

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded the commander of a Russian corvette on Wednesday, Sept. 16, after the commander’s ship fired signal flares toward a Danish military helicopter over the Baltic Sea. According to a statement⁠ from the Russian Defense Ministry, the unnamed commander of the Baltic Fleet corvette Soobrazitelny received the medal “For Combat Distinction,” for what Moscow described as “skillful and decisive actions” during the incident.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The encounter took place at 2:22 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, while the Russian vessel was operating in international waters in the southwestern Baltic Sea, the ministry said. Russia claimed that the Danish Air Force Fennec helicopter approached the corvette and did not respond to calls on an international communications channel. “To prevent a provocation by the Danish helicopter, the corvette commander decided to launch two red signal flares,” the ministry said. The helicopter subsequently left the area, according to Moscow’s account. Denmark says flare narrowly missed helicopter Denmark gave a sharply different description of the encounter, saying its helicopter was conducting routine photographic surveillance of the Russian vessel in international waters near the island of Gedser. The Russian ship fired two flares toward the aircraft, with one passing close to it, the Danish Armed Forces said. Danish Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus described the Russian vessel’s conduct as “very unprofessional seamanship,” saying other methods were available if its crew wanted to establish contact. Other Topics of Interest Russia Must List Protected Sites for Energy Truce Kyiv says any ceasefire must cover all energy infrastructure, while Russian oil and gas exports should receive equivalent treatment. Denmark summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin over the incident, which Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called “completely unacceptable.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the confrontation was part of a broader pattern of increasingly aggressive Russian conduct against Europe and NATO. “Russia wants to intimidate and sow discord,” Frederiksen said, calling for European countries to strengthen their collective defense. No injuries or damage to the Danish helicopter were reported. Moscow blames Danish aircraft Russia rejected Copenhagen’s account and accused the Danish helicopter crew of conducting dangerous maneuvers near the corvette. Barbin delivered a diplomatic note to Denmark and demanded measures to prevent similar encounters, according to Reuters⁠. The ambassador also cited an alleged August 2025 incident involving a Danish helicopter and the Russian anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov. He claimed the aircraft flew at low altitude over the vessel without establishing radio contact. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not have sufficient information to comment on the latest encounter. The Soobrazitelny is a Project 20380 multipurpose corvette equipped with a 100-millimeter naval gun, air defense systems, and anti-ship missiles. It can also carry a Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter. Belousov’s decision to award its commander came two days after an encounter Denmark characterized as dangerous, amid growing concerns over Russian military activity around NATO’s Baltic members. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.