Limited details are presently available regarding the incident, which was apparently revealed by the German Foreign Minister at a NATO Meeting in Brussels.
Speaking on the fringes of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting held in Brussels from Dec. 3 to Dec. 4, 2024, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock spoke of an incident where a Russian warship operating in the Baltic Sea fired ‘signal ammunition’ at a German military helicopter. The helicopter was conducting a reconnaissance mission, though it was not revealed which type of helicopter was involved.
‘Signal ammunition’ likely means the use of a signal flare. While not designed as a weapon, signal flares burn at temperatures in the thousands of degrees and can be dangerous when misused. Ships (and aircraft) routinely carry signal flares for emergency communications and, sometimes, for providing a source of illumination.
Beyond the comment made at the NATO meeting, no further statements have been made about the event and no timeframe has been established, making it difficult to investigate using maritime AIS and aircraft tracking platforms.
Baerbock further announced that increased surveillance measures would be taken to protect critical undersea infrastructure in the Baltic. The announcement follows several widely reported incidents involving undersea pipelines and cables in the region, beginning with the Nord Stream pipeline explosions, and most recently the severing of multiple communications cables.
Investigations into the latter are in their early stages, but attention has been drawn to the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3 which sailed over the cables and has been shadowed by units belonging to the governments of the countries affected.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte used his press conference at the NATO meeting to emphasize the threat of Russian (and Chinese) interference and sabotage: “Over the past years, Russia and China have tried to destabilise our nations with acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and energy blackmail to intimidate us.”
He further added that “None of these actions will deter us from supporting Ukraine or making our own defences stronger. NATO allies will continue to stand together to face these threats through a range of measures, including greater intelligence sharing and better protection of critical infrastructure”
Bruno Kahl, chief of the BND, the German Federal Intelligence Service, commented last month that he expects Russia to ‘step up’ its hybrid warfare activities, and said there is a risk that a NATO member will eventually invoke the alliance’s Article 5 over these acts of sabotage. Article 5 is NATO’s collective defense pledge, committing all members to respond to an attack on one member as if it was an attack on themselves. It applies only to attacks on territories in Europe or North America, and any invocation must be confirmed and discussed by the North Atlantic Council.
Cyberattacks, disinformation, political interference and state-sponsored acts of sabotage are on the rise in Europe.@NATO allies will develop an updated strategy to counter hybrid attacks.
-FM @EspenBarthEide @ FMM in Brussels @NATOSecGen pic.twitter.com/AIzHQKGdK5
— Norway MFA (@NorwayMFA) December 4, 2024
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Many similar close encounters between NATO and (then) Soviet forces were experienced during the Cold War, and these recurrences would align with the general rise in long range strategic bomber and intelligence aircraft activities that has been seen from Russia over the last decade.
One incident in 1976 and only recently declassified involved a British Wessex helicopter which was targeted by green rocket flares launched from a Soviet Navy minesweeper. The encounter happened in the Mediterranean, off the Eastern coast of Cyprus. The Wessex safely recovered to its ship, HMS Devonshire, and furious representations were made to the Soviet government via the British Embassy in Moscow.
The resumption of a Cold War era posture also reflects the sharp tensions between Russia and the alliance that have only grown following the former’s involvement in Syria supporting Bashar al-Assad, as well as the war in Ukraine.
In 2023, a U.S. operated MQ-9 Reaper was severely damaged by a Russian Su-35 over Syria which deployed flares in its flight path and performed close fly-bys that damaged the drone’s propeller. This followed another incident where a manned U.S. MC-12 intelligence aircraft was disrupted by the wake of a Russian fighter aircraft. Two years prior, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender encountered 20 Russian aircraft while sailing in the Black Sea in an affair that became an international diplomatic dispute. Many more of these close encounters have taken place as tensions rise.
Interesting clip showing a close encounter between two armed US Navy Super Hornets and two armed Russian Su-34 Fullbacks posted by FighterBomber Telegram channel. Noteworthy the F/A-18F is the CAG bird of VFA-32, the “Swordsmen”. Not sure when it was shot though as that color… pic.twitter.com/mltnBay6kc
— The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) July 21, 2024
The Baltic Sea is a particular focal point for confrontation, owing to its strategic importance as Denmark, Germany, and Sweden’s primary access to the sea as well as the only access for Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Russia’s interest in the Black Sea meanwhile includes the major city, and naval base, of St Petersburg and the exclave of Kaliningrad. It has colloquially been described recently as a “NATO lake”, as Sweden and Finland have acceded to the alliance. While Russian ships and aircraft have free passage through the area, they can expect to be extensively monitored on all sides by NATO forces.
More updates will follow on this story as and when they become available.
