Russian warship opens fire on nato helicopter in chilling attack over Europe's skies

A Russian warship opened fire on a NATO helicopter, the Danish Government has accused.

The Danish Government has summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident, in which an alleged Russian warship fired two emergency flares at Denmark's helicopter as it tracked the vessel.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the Russian attack was "reckless", adding it was designed to "intimidate and divide".

Russia said it would "thoroughly investigate" the incident and accused Danish helicopters of making "dangerous manoeuvres" near its ships.

The Danish armed forces said one of the air force's Fennec helicopters was fired at with flares during a routine photographic operation of a Russian frigate, located in international waters off Gedser.

Two flares were fired towards the helicopter, with one passing at close range.

Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Russia was gradually shifting the boundary for what it considers acceptable behaviour, adding that this was something Copenhagen could not accept.

Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin accused the Danish helicopter of provocative actions.

However, he also confirmed Russia would thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the incident.

He claimed it was not the first time Danish Air Force helicopters had carried out dangerous manoeuvres near Russian warships, pointing to a similar incident last year. He added that communication problems lay not with the Russian Navy's vessels but with the Danish side.

Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus told Reuters no attempt to make contact with the helicopters had been made.

The incident comes just hours after NATO scrambled fighter jets over Lithuania after an unidentified object entered the country's airspace, triggering emergency alerts for residents.

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Alliance fighter jets shot down the intruder shortly after midnight as authorities responded to the incursion over the eastern European country.

The drone is believed to have entered Lithuania from Belarus and was shot down near Pratkunai village in southern Lithuania, close to Kaunas, the country's second-largest city, according to a spokesman for the Lithuanian national crisis management centre.

At 10.39pm, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on social media that a drone which had just entered Lithuanian airspace was destroyed by NATO fighter jets, thanking allied personnel for their swift response.

The origin of the drone has yet to be determined, the spokesman added.

Nausėda said that with Russia intensifying its aggression against Ukraine, such readiness was vital for the region, adding that Lithuania, together with its NATO allies, would defend its airspace.

Lithuania's Ministry of Defence said Lithuanian armed forces and Italian pilots in the NATO Air Defence Mission showed a swift and responsible response to the incident.

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