Key actors — tap for context
Soobrazitelnyj
Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette (Project 20380), launched in March 2010 and commissioned in October 2011.
Why here: It was this ship that fired the flares at the Danish helicopter; it belongs to the Baltic Fleet.
Gedser
The southernmost town in Denmark, a port on the island of Falster with a ferry connection to Germany.
Why here: The incident took place in international waters near it.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Why here: He dismissed Russia's justification for the shooting as an excuse.
Kaja Kallas
Head of European diplomacy.
Why here: After the incident, she called on Europe for concrete steps and a confident response.
What happened off Gedser
On Monday, September 14, the Danish air force dispatched a Fennec helicopter to photograph the Russian ship in international waters off Gedser. According to the Danish military, this was a routine inspection task. The Russian ship fired two signal flares at the helicopter; according to the Danish side, one flew just past it. Neither the crew nor the aircraft suffered any damage. DR ↗Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador. After the incident, the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, called on Europe for concrete steps and a confident response. EEAS ↗
Russia's Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident via Telegram, stating that the helicopter left the area after the shooting; according to the ministry, the flares were meant to prevent a "provocation". Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin accused the Danish helicopter of dangerous maneuvers. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen dismissed the Russian justification with the Danish term *søforklaring* — a contrived explanation that no one takes seriously.
Frigate or corvette?
Both Slovak and Czech media described the incident as shooting from a Russian frigate. The ship was not identified until Tuesday, by the German federal police: it is the Soobrazitelnyj, a Steregushchiy-class corvette (Project 20380) roughly 105 meters long with a full displacement of about 2,200 tons. Russia classifies it as a corvette, while NATO classification places it among frigates — hence the discrepancy in designation. TV 2 ↗The ship belongs to the Baltic Fleet and entered service in October 2011. It carries Kh-35 Uran anti-ship missiles, a 100mm A-190 gun, and a Redut vertical launch system with twelve cells. Its crew numbers approximately one hundred people.
Russia did not deny the shooting — quite the opposite
It is precisely the award that sets this case apart from a routine diplomatic spat. Moscow did not deny the shooting or let it fade away — it portrayed it as the right decision and, according to Danish media, rewarded the man responsible.The case fits into a series of events Europe has been dealing with all week: a drone with a warhead found on a Polish beach, a drone shot down over Lithuania, sabotage on the Dutch railway. The difference is that at Gedser, the Russian side itself claims responsibility for the act — turning it into proof of its own version of events.
*Illustrative photo: the corvette Soobrazitelnyj in Saint Petersburg, Wikimedia Commons. Author: Ad Meskens. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.*
