Denmark has accused a Russian warship of firing two emergency flares at one of its military helicopters in the Baltic Sea, summoning the Russian ambassador and prompting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to condemn the "reckless" act as an attempt to "intimidate and divide". The incident occurred as tensions remain elevated on Nato's eastern flank, coinciding with Nato forces shooting down a drone over Lithuania and Poland reporting Russian drone activity in its airspace, developments European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as part of a "broader pattern of Russian aggression and provocation" against Europe.

The Danish armed forces said a Fennec helicopter was fired at with flares on Monday while photographing a Russian frigate in international waters off Gedser, with one flare passing close by; Denmark's defence minister said the frigate's crew made no attempt at contact beforehand. Russia's ambassador said Moscow would investigate but countered that Danish helicopters had carried out "dangerous manoeuvres" near its warships, referencing a similar complaint from last year. Separately, a drone believed to have entered Lithuania from Belarus was shot down near Kaunas overnight, while Poland said it conducted "preventive" air operations amid Russian jet-powered drone strikes on Ukraine; Nato jets have repeatedly intercepted stray drones over Estonia and Latvia this year, which Ukraine attributes to Russian electronic warfare interference.