Finland Investigates Suspected Drone Violations Amid Regional Tensions
Finnish authorities are investigating two suspected violations of the country’s airspace by unidentified drones in the early hours of Sunday morning. The incidents occurred as Ukraine launched a series of drone strikes targeting Russian oil infrastructure along the Gulf of Finland and other regions.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was observed flying toward Russia in the Virolahti area, Finland’s southeasternmost municipality, on Sunday morning. The drone’s model and origin remain unidentified, and it has since left Finnish airspace. Yle reports that Finland is "currently not facing an immediate military threat" in connection with the incident.
MTV Uutiset provides additional details, citing Lauri Roiha, field commander of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard, who stated that two drones were detected in Finnish airspace after 3 a.m. The drones, described as "unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles of foreign origin," were spotted off the coast of Virolahti and Ulko-Tammio. According to Roiha, the drones did not head inland but instead continued eastward along Finland’s border before exiting the country’s airspace. The Gulf of Finland Coast Guard is leading the investigation, with further details expected as it progresses.
The incidents follow a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian targets. On Sunday, Ukraine struck Russia’s largest Baltic oil port, Primorsk, temporarily setting it ablaze. Yle cites local governor Alexander Drozdenko, who claimed that Russian air defences shot down over 60 drones overnight in the Leningrad region, which includes St. Petersburg. The fire at Primorsk was extinguished, and no oil spill was reported. Primorsk, a key oil-loading port, has been targeted by Ukrainian drones in the past, including attacks last September and March that caused significant damage.
In addition to the Baltic strikes, Ukrainian forces targeted two "shadow fleet" tankers near the entrance to the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Other Russian regions also reported drone attacks over the weekend, as Yle notes, citing Reuters.
The drone activity in the region prompted Estonia and Latvia to issue public SMS warnings about air threats overnight. Finland, which has not yet implemented such an alert system, took precautionary measures by establishing a temporary aviation restriction area over a nearby maritime district between approximately 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Sunday. The Ministry of Defence stated that the restriction was intended to "enable a better situational picture and safe repellence of potentially stray drones" while minimising risks to civilians.
Fighter Jet Activity in Southeast Finland
The drone incidents coincided with heightened military activity in the region. Yle journalist Mikko Rita, staying on Tammio Island in the Hamina archipelago, reported being awakened by the sound of fighter jets early Sunday morning. Rita described hearing several jets flying overhead for about an hour and a half after 4 a.m., along with two loud bangs that shook the windows of his cabin.
"Two clear, loud bangs were accompanied by a pressure wave that shook the windows of the cottage," Rita said. He noted that the sounds occurred every few minutes, with the first explosion being particularly loud. After stepping outside, Rita observed a fighter jet flying from land toward the sea, followed by frequent overflights every 5–10 minutes for the next hour and a half.
The incidents come months after four Ukrainian drones were found in southeast Finland earlier this spring, following Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil ports in the Gulf of Finland. Finnish authorities continue to monitor the situation as investigations into the latest airspace violations proceed.