Russian Ship Fires Signal Ammunition at Bundeswehr Helicopter in Baltic Sea

Tensions between Russia and Western nations in the Baltic Sea region escalated when a German Bundeswehr helicopter was fired upon by a Russian ship using signal rockets, according to Welt on December 4.

The helicopter was reportedly conducting a reconnaissance mission at the time.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock briefly mentioned the incident during a NATO meeting in Brussels and added that the helicopter was not damaged in the incident, but did not specify where and when the incident occurred.

Russian warship fired signal ammunition at a German helicopter, with this type of ammo being typically used only in emergencies.

Baerbock noted that Russian ships in the Baltic are often involved in efforts to bypass sanctions imposed due to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Baerbock announced an increase in patrols to safeguard critical infrastructure like pipelines and data cables in the Baltic Sea.

Earlier, Pierre Vandier, NATO's Commander of Concepts and Transformation stated that NATO is in the early stages of developing a fleet of unmanned vessels designed to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.