Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov recently awarded the commander of the corvette Soobrazitelny a Medal “For Combat Distinction” after the ship fired two signal flares toward a Danish military helicopter in the Baltic Sea. Russia’s Defense Ministry described the commander’s actions as “skillful and decisive” and credited him with preventing what it called a “provocation” by the Danish Air Force.
According to the Russian ministry, the incident occurred at 2:22 p.m. on Sept. 14 while the Baltic Fleet corvette was in international waters in the southwestern portion of the Baltic Sea. The ministry said a Danish Air Force Fennec helicopter was approaching the ship and allegedly failed to respond to calls on an international communications channel. The ship’s commander then ordered the launch of two red signal flares, after which, according to the Russian account, the helicopter left the area.
The Danish military said the helicopter was carrying out routine photography of the Russian ship in international waters near the town of Gedser in southern Denmark. According to Denmark’s Armed Forces, the Russian vessel fired two flares toward the helicopter, with one passing at close range. The Danish military said the flares were pyrotechnic devices normally used for signaling at sea.
Following the incident, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin was summoned to Denmark’s Foreign Ministry, where Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the incident “unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen linked the Russian ship’s actions to what she described as an intensifying hybrid campaign against Europe, saying Moscow was testing NATO while trying to intimidate Europeans and sow division.
Russian pilots were also decorated after 2023 incident with U.S. drone
The Insider found that in March 2023, Russia’s then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu similarly awarded Orders of Courage to Su-27 pilots following an incident involving aircraft from a NATO country — a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea. According to U.S. European Command, one of the Russian fighters struck and damaged the drone’s propeller during the encounter, forcing the U.S. military to bring the aircraft down in international waters.
Russia’s Defense Ministry denied that a collision had occurred and said the drone crashed as a result of its own sharp maneuvering. The ministry said the pilots were decorated for preventing a violation of the boundaries of an area where Russia had imposed temporary restrictions on airspace use after the start of the full-scale war.
John Kirby, then a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, mocked the Russian ministry’s decision at the time:
“I don’t know of another military in the world, another Air Force in the world, that would award a pilot for smashing into a drone. If that’s bravery, then I guess they’ve got a different definition of it. It's ludicrous, it's insulting.”
