Denmark has accelerated a 1.8 billion kroner ($276 million) military aid package for Ukraine after accusing a Russian warship of firing flares towards a Danish military helicopter.
The package will focus primarily on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the decision to speed up the aid followed the confrontation involving a Russian frigate and Danish helicopter in international waters.
Denmark says the helicopter was photographing the Russian vessel when the frigate fired flares without warning, narrowly missing the aircraft.
Russia disputes Denmark’s account and says the Danish helicopter carried out dangerous manoeuvres near the ship.
Ukraine package brought forward
Copenhagen had already planned the 1.8 billion-kroner package, but the government has now accelerated its delivery following the incident.
The package will primarily support Ukrainian air defence as Russia continues missile and drone attacks against the country.
Denmark has been one of Ukraine’s most prominent military supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, supplying weapons and helping fund Ukrainian defence production.
The confrontation adds to tensions between Russia and NATO countries around the Baltic and northern European region.
Both Moscow and Copenhagen have presented sharply different accounts of what happened around the Russian frigate.
Denmark says the encounter strengthened rather than weakened its determination to support Ukraine.
The result is that military assistance already planned for Kyiv will now arrive faster following a direct confrontation between Danish and Russian forces.
Russia denies responsibility for creating the dangerous encounter.
Denmark is nevertheless responding by accelerating another $276 million in military support for the country Russia is fighting.
Sources
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