A Russian warship fired signaling ammunition at a German helicopter. The incident took place in the Baltic Sea.
It seems that the crew of the Russian ship fired the ammunition normally used for warning in the Baltic Sea, as announced by the German news agency DPA.
The German helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission.
The use of signaling ammunition is generally reserved for emergency situations.
Questioned on this topic during a regular press conference, a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense said he could not confirm the incident.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock briefly mentioned the event on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels, but did not provide further details, as reported by Reuters.
Baerbock wrote on the X social platform that Russia is expanding its hybrid attacks in the Baltic Sea region and, consequently, NATO will strengthen its monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure. She also noted that ships circumventing sanctions related to Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine frequently transit the Baltic Sea.
In mid-November, two communication cables in the Swedish economic zone of the Baltic Sea were damaged – one between Sweden and Lithuania and the other between Finland and Germany.
Authorities in these countries have launched investigations, with unofficial reports suggesting that the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 may have deliberately dragged an anchor on the seabed to damage the cables.