Russian warship ‘fires at’ German helicopter: NATO reconnaissance plane incident over Baltic Sea sparks new battle escalation fears
A Russian warship has fired warning shots at a German helicopter carrying out patrols over the Baltic Sea, it has been reported.
The crew of the Russian ship fired signal ammunition, the German Press Agency in Brussels has learned.
According to the German newspaper Bild, the warning shots were fired at the NATO reconnaissance aircraft.
Signal ammunition is used for warning shots rather than attack, but this sort of incident is a sign of how close NATO and Russia are getting to facing each other directly.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock mentioned the incident at a NATO meeting but did not give further details.
A German defence ministry spokesperson has so far been unable to confirm these reports.
It comes as NATO is carrying out increased surveillance in the Baltic Sea to prevent hybrid attacks on pipelines and data cables by Russia and its supporters.
The Baltic Sea is bordered by eight NATO countries and Russia. There have been at least three incidents of possible sabotage to the 40-odd telecommunication cables and critical gas pipelines that run along its relatively shallow seabed since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
A Russian warship has fired at a German helicopter over the Baltic Sea- sparking new WW3 escalation fears (file photo)
The crew of the Russian ship fired signal ammunition at the helicopter that was on a reconnaissance mission, according to the German newspaper Bild (file photo)
‘NATO is stepping up patrols, … allies are investing in innovative technologies that can help better secure these assets,’ Commander Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesperson for NATO’s Allied Maritime Command previously said.
Yet the ease with which a ship’s anchor can slice through a cable, coupled with the often-treacherous sea conditions, makes actual prevention of such attacks almost impossible.
The incident today is the latest in a number of close calls between Russian and NATO forces.
In September a Russian aircraft came dangerously close to a U.S. fighter jet sent to intercept them off the coast of Alaska.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircrafts operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on September 23.
NORAD scrambled four F-16s fighters and a reconnaissance aircraft to escort the Russian formation through the zone, a spokesperson told Alaska Public Media.
Video of the interaction shows one Russian jet soaring past an American aircraft, quickly banking left and right.
‘The conduct of one Russian Su-35 was unsafe, unprofessional, and endangered all – not what you’d see in a professional air force,’ said Gen. Gregory Guillot.
Meanwhile in March last year, a Russian fighter jet crashed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
Drone camera footage shows the terrifying confrontation as an Su-27 jet approaches from behind, clips its propeller and dumps fuel over it in international airspace.
The clip was released on the back of a report that the ‘highest levels’ of the Kremlin signed off on the aggressive behavior of the jets during the intercept.
This is a breaking news story- more to follow
