According to the Danish Armed Forces, one of the two flares fired from the Russian corvette passed close to the vessel. Pyrotechnic flares are actually intended as a means of signalling in maritime emergencies.
The incident took place in international waters south of the Danish island of Falster – and thus in the immediate vicinity of the Fehmarn Belt. According to the Danish Defence Command on a routine reconnaissance mission.
German Federal Police confirm incident
The German Federal Police confirmed the incident to NDR. According to their statement, the vessel in question is the missile corvette “Soobrazitelny”. Initial reports had in some cases referred to a larger frigate; the Danish military also described the Russian vessel as such in its statement. The Federal Police had previously escorted the corvette through the Baltic Sea with the patrol vessel “Neustadt” and handed it over to Danish forces off Falster.
Denmark summons the Russian ambassador
Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, described the incident as completely unacceptable and summoned the Russian ambassador. Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus spoke of a serious incident and a new level of risk-taking. From the Russian perspective, the Danish helicopter is said to have carried out provocative and dangerous manoeuvres near the warship. No evidence to support this account was initially made public.
Dangerous escalation caused by the corvette
The Fennec’s crew were on a routine mission to document the ship from the air. On board were the pilot and an observer. No one was injured. The fact that the flare narrowly missed the aircraft nevertheless makes the incident more than just a chance encounter at sea: even signal flares can be dangerous to aircraft.
A period of heightened security
The report comes at a time of heightened military and security concerns in the western Baltic Sea, triggered by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022. As early as the end of August, ten Baltic Sea littoral states met in Flensburg to discuss a joint task force to counter hybrid threats. Topics discussed included drones, potential attacks on undersea cables, GPS jamming and the presence of Russian units during voyages by the so-called ‘shadow fleet’. Read more in the YACHT report on the security conference in Flensburg.
The corvette is no stranger
The “Soobrazitelny” is no stranger in this context either. According to NDR reports, in June it harassed boats carrying Greenpeace activists off the coast of Fehmarn. At the end of 2025, YACHT reported on the redeployment of the Russian destroyer ‘Severomorsk’ to the Baltic Sea and its proximity to tankers belonging to the shadow fleet. The Increased Russian naval presence in the Fehmarn Belt is therefore part of a broader picture.
The situation for sailors in the Baltic Sea
For recreational boaters, the current incident does not result in any new official restrictions. However, it underlines the importance of keeping a safe distance from naval vessels and remaining alert to the security situation in the area of operation. The German Navy advises sailors in the Baltic Sea to keep clear of warships, to leave their radios switched on and to be prepared for unusual manoeuvres at all times in exercise areas. YACHT has covered these guidelines in detail in “Navy steps up its presence in the Baltic Sea: What sailors need to know” compiled.
Quite apart from military encounters, disruptions to satellite navigation remain a practical concern for crews in the Baltic Sea region. When preparing for your own voyage, you should therefore: check that your position data is plausible and ensure you have a chart, a compass and simple bearing-taking methods to hand. YACHT explains why this is important in its guide “GPS disruptions: What should you do if your chartplotter fails?”.
How do you perceive the increased presence of naval units and the security situation on your sailing trips on the Baltic Sea?
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel