Russian warship fires warning shot at German army helicopter carrying out patrol in the Baltic Sea
4 December 2024, 14:05
A Russian warship fired at a German army helicopter that was on a reconnaissance flight over the Baltic Sea.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock acknowledged the incident at a NATO meeting.
She said that Russian warships have been involved in circumnavigating sanctions in the Baltic Sea.
Baerbock has confirmed that security has been increased for undersea pipelines and data cables.
Signal ammunition is usually used for warning shots.
This comes after Kremlin forces fired hypersonic missiles into the eastern Mediterranean in a new round of drills by the Russian Navy.
The warships fired Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, while a Russian submarine launched a Kalibr cruise missile, a weapon capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the Russian Defence ministry said.
The Russian military, which did not specify the location of the drills, said the number of Russian troops currently in the eastern Mediterranean had been 'increased' to partake in the exercises.
“On December 3, during an exercise to test the combined activities of Russian Navy and Air Force troop groups, precision sea-based missiles were launched in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea,” Russia's defence ministry said in a post on Telegram.
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Last month, President Zelenskyy asked NATO for membership saying he would be willing to end the "hot phase of the war" if Ukraine gave up the alliance.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha said that "the invitation should not be seen as an escalation" in the letter, seen by Reuters.
"On the contrary, with a clear understanding that Ukraine's membership in NATO is inevitable, Russia will lose one of its main arguments for continuing this unjustified war," he wrote.
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On Sunday, Vladimir Putin signed off record amounts of defence spending for Russia.
The Kremlin has signed off new budget plans, raising military spending to record levels for 2025 - as they push to win the Ukraine war.
Some 33% of their budget has been set aside for defence, according to a budget posted on the government website.
This will amount to 3.5 trillion rubles (nearly £26 billion), which is up 28.3% compared to their previous defence spending.
