Home · World · Sep 15 archive
EU Approves $115 Million for NATO Naval Hub in Baltic Port Near Russia
Developing
In Short: Denmark's Defense Minister accused Russia of 'deeply unprofessional seamanship' after a close encounter with a Danish aircraft.
Denmark's Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus accused Russia of 'deeply unprofessional seamanship' after a close encounter with a Danish aircraft, stating that a flare passed within 'a matter of metres' of the aircraft.
In response to the incident, Bruus said the situation was being taken seriously but that Denmark was not yet considering invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which would treat an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the incident 'serious but not surprising,' describing it as part of a pattern of Russian hybrid warfare against Europe and testing NATO's resolve.
Frederiksen emphasized the need for closer unity and stronger defenses, warning that the war in Ukraine could escalate and entangle NATO member states.
Moscow and Copenhagen have traded blame for the incident, with Russia's ambassador in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, insisting that 'dangerous manoeuvres' by the Danish aircraft were to blame.
The Danish Straits, where most incidents between Russia and Denmark have occurred, are the Baltic's main shipping gateway and a key oil route, including for Russian oil tankers.
In a separate incident, two Italian Eurofighters scrambled under NATO command to intercept an explosive-laden drone over Lithuania, marking the first operational air defense shootdown in Lithuania's airspace.
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where the Italian fighter jets shot down the drone during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, near Pratkunai village in Kaisiadorys district, roughly 60 miles northwest of the capital Vilnius.
What's still developing
- Rail hubs and transport infrastructure serving Ukraine’s military are legitimate targets, she said, and Russia warned foreign diplomats in May to leave Kyiv because of strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.
- "Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine," Rutte said, while pledging to strengthen NATO defenses along its eastern flank.
Sources
- Kyivindependentlink