A RUSSIAN warship opened fire on a German army chopper over the Baltic Sea, Germany’s foreign minister has confirmed.
It is understood the crew of Putin’s ship fired warning shots at a helicopter conducting a reconnaissance mission.
A Putin warship has opened fire on a German chopper over the Baltic sea (file photo)Getty
East2WestRussian ships and choppers pictured staging major war games in the Baltic in June 2022[/caption]
ReutersThe Russian Navy’s guided missile cruiser Moskva sails back into a harbour after tracking NATO warships in the Black Sea in 2021[/caption]
APToday’s fire and Tuesday’s drills were the Kremlin despot’s latest show of force[/caption]
While signal ammunition is intended for warnings rather than attacks, this incident highlights the growing proximity between NATO and Russia, bringing them closer to a direct clash.
The helicopter was deployed due to increased patrols in the Baltic Sea.
Signal ammunition is also typically used only in emergency situations.
A German defence ministry spokesperson could not confirm Wednesday’s reports about an incident between a German army helicopter and a Russian ship in the Baltic Sea.
But German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock reportedly mentioned the incident on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, but did not provide any further details, according to German outlet Bild.
On social media platform X, Baerbock said following the press reports that Russia was expanding its hybrid attacks in the Baltic Sea area and that NATO would bolster its monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure as a result.
“Putin is attacking our peace order with hybrid attacks,” she wrote.
Baerbock highlighted that ships continue to sail through the Baltic Sea attempting to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia following Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The German foreign minister also announced that monitoring of pipelines and data cables in the region would be intensified.
The protection of critical infrastructure through patrols should be expanded, she said.
This is in response to recurring Russian attacks on this critical infrastructure, including the destruction of cables and disruptions to GPS systems.
Last month two subsea cables – one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania – were damaged in less than 24 hours, prompting German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was sabotage.
Sweden, Germany and Lithuania all launched criminal investigations last week, zeroing in on Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, which left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15.
Russia denied any responsibility for the damaged cables.
Putin’s infamous allies North Korea and Iran are also accused of seeking to destabilise European states through hybrid attacks.
This term refers to actions by state or non-state actors aimed at harming other nations without engaging in open warfare.
Such attacks are typically challenging, if not impossible, to trace back to a specific perpetrator.
VLAD’S WAR GAMES
Just yesterday, a menacing Vladimir Putin staged provocative war games in the Mediterranean in a blatant show of strength to the West.
The despot’s aggression came amid major tension with rebel advances in Syria, where he protects his authoritarian dictator pal Bashar al-Assad.
Video showed Putin‘s major warning to the West by firing Tsirkon [Zircon] 6,900 mph hypersonic missiles in the eastern Mediterranean – Europe’s favourite holiday destination.
They were blasted by modern frigates Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Golovko.
Both warships were operating as part of the Russian Navy strike group, Russian TV network Zvezda reported.
The Kremlin dictator’s diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk also launched a Kalibr cruise missile at a maritime target position.
Just yesterday, Putin fired 6,900 mph hypersonic missiles from his warships in a major warning to the WestEast2West
The missiles were fired in the eastern MediterraneanEast2West
ReutersAn aerial view shows Russian Navy frigate Admiral Golovko during yesterday’s military drills[/caption]
The Russian Defence Ministry said a Bastion coastal missile system from the Mediterranean coast – presumably Syria – carried out a “combat launch of an Onyx cruise missile”.
The Ministry added it was all part of military exercises involving more than 1,000 servicemen, 10 ships and support vessels, 24 aircraft, including MiG-31I fighters armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.
Russia’s Bastion coastal missile system was also involved in the exercises, according to Zvezda.
It is certainly not the first time the Russian tyrant played war games on NATO’s backyard.
In November, a mystery drone came “within 250 metres” of the Royal Navy’s £3billion aircraft carrier amid fears Russia could be targeting UK bases operated by the US.
Cops since launched a criminal probe after the sighting near HMS Queen Elizabeth – days after drones flew over three RAF bases.
Putin also warned he could strike British and US military targets after Ukraine fired Nato missiles into Russian territory.
The dictator revealed he blasted Ukraine with a new kind of ballistic missile that hurtled down from the edge of space in a “depraved” act of nuclear brinkmanship.
In September, RAF fighter jets have been deployed after Russian war planes were seen flying just miles off the UK coast.
Two Typhoon jets were launched from under Nato command to monitor Russian active near UK airspace after Bear-F reconnaissance planes were spotted.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence confirmed that “at no time did the Russian aircraft enter UK sovereign airspace”.
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