Russian frigate fired at a Danish helicopter with signal flares, and this causes the Folketing to advance support.
Denmark advances and increases a support package to a total of DKK 1.8 billion for Ukraine, which will primarily go to air defense.
It happens after a Danish helicopter was fired upon twice with a signal flare by a Russian frigate earlier this week.
This is what Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) and Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus (S) say after a meeting in the Foreign Policy Council on Friday. Løkke calls it a “violent Russian provocation”.
– If you think that you can provoke us into being reluctant with our Ukraine support, then you are wrong, he says and elaborates that the money goes to Ukrainian-produced air defense.
Recently, Ukraine has especially had difficulty defending the country against Russia’s ballistic missiles, because they lack the right missiles for air defense. It is particularly the important Patriot missiles that the USA produces.
The defense issued a press release on Monday at 23:02 that one of the air force’s Fennec helicopters had been fired upon with pyrotechnics in international waters off Gedser.
According to the Norwegian Defense Forces, this happened in connection with a routine photo coverage of the frigate.
According to the Danish defense minister, the Russian frigate did not establish radio contact with the Danish helicopter before two signal flares were fired at the helicopter.
The transatlantic defense alliance Nato has called the episode an “irresponsible Russian action”.
Several similar episodes have taken place in Europe in recent times.
– This is part of a pattern we see around Europe, where Russia is escalating and constantly testing its limits. It serves the purpose of shaking our unity and our support for Ukraine, and it must not work, says Løkke.
It has flared up after Russia invaded Ukraine in full swing in 2022, launching a full-scale war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has previously summoned the Russian ambassador for an interview.
The donation was requested by Ukraine.
– If the Russians think they can shake us by doing something like this, then our response is that we will step up our support for Ukraine faster than we had intended, says Bruus.
The captain of the Russian frigate, from which two signal flares were fired at a Danish helicopter on Monday, has received an award for his actions. Russia has said the helicopter acted “provocatively”.
Denmark is one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters in terms of population, but since December has only sent one major aid package apart from Friday’s.
The Ukraine fund has practically run out of money, and if more money is to be found, the politicians will have to find it elsewhere.
Up until now, the support has been financed via the financial leeway, which is the state’s expected surplus in the future.
RITZAU
