An incident has occurred in the Baltic Sea involving a Russian vessel and a German military helicopter.

Source: German news agency DPA, reported by European Pravda, citing Welt

Details: The crew of the Russian ship fired signal munitions while the helicopter was conducting a reconnaissance mission. Additional circumstances surrounding the incident have not been disclosed.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock briefly mentioned the event on the sidelines of the NATO meeting in Brussels but did not provide further details.

Using signal munitions is generally reserved for emergencies. Baerbock noted that ships bypassing sanctions related to Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine frequently transit through the Baltic Sea.

German Foreign Minister also announced strengthened monitoring of pipelines and data transmission cables in the Baltic Sea. Enhanced protection of critical infrastructure will include additional patrols, addressing an increase in hybrid attacks by Russia and its allies.

Background:

• In mid-November, two communication cables in the Swedish economic zone of the Baltic Sea were damaged – one between Sweden and Lithuania and another between Finland and Germany. Authorities in these countries launched investigations, with unofficial reports suggesting the Chinese cargo vessel Yi Peng 3 might have deliberately dragged an anchor across the seabed to damage the cables.
• Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson formally requested China’s cooperation in the investigation into the cable damage in the Baltic Sea. 

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