Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded the commander of the corvette "Reasonable" for "decisive actions to prevent a provocation" by a Danish military helicopter over the Baltic Sea.
The Defense Minister awarded the ship's commander a medal "For Combat Merit" for "competent actions during a meeting with a foreign aircraft," the department reported in Max.
The incident occurred on September 14 in neutral waters in the southwest of the Baltic Sea. A Russian corvette was carrying out its assigned task when it detected an approaching air target. It turned out to be a Fennec helicopter of the Danish Air Force.
The message notes that the aircraft is heading towards the warship and ignoring attempts to establish contact via international channels. "To prevent a provocation, the commander of the "Sobrysty" orders the launch of two red flares. The Danish helicopter then leaves the patrol area".
Earlier, the Danish armed forces reported that the Russian ship had launched two flares.
The Danish Foreign Ministry summoned Moscow's diplomatic representative to discuss the incident.
Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin handed Copenhagen a counter-note of protest in connection with the dangerous maneuvers of military helicopters.