Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had noted European military drills in the Baltic Sea involving the practice of seizing civilian vessels, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Ukrainian outlet Ukrinform reports that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded the commander of the corvette Smetlivy after it fired signal flares at a Danish military helicopter over international waters.
Moscow issued a warning to Copenhagen after a Russian frigate reportedly fired flares that narrowly missed a Danish military helicopter during an encounter in the Baltic Sea, according to Al Jazeera.
A Russian warship discharged flares near a Danish military helicopter in the Baltic Sea while NATO aircraft shot down a drone over Lithuania in separate incidents on the alliance's eastern border.