Finnish military and police conduct overnight operation to search for drone near Russian border

In the early hours of May 17, Finnish military personnel and police officers conducted a search operation in the municipality of Lemi in South Karelia — an area bordering Russia.

This was reported by the Finnish outlet Yle.

The operation began at approximately 0:30 and lasted about an hour. According to an eyewitness, a search helicopter flew slowly and at low altitude, illuminating the area with a searchlight, before landing in a field in Kuukanniemi.

The Finnish Defence Forces confirmed that the operation had taken place. Police were also present at the scene of the nighttime search in Lemi — this was confirmed by the situation center of the Southeastern Finland Police.

The outlet notes that the military has stepped up monitoring along the country’s eastern border. Previously, Hornet fighter jets had been scrambled in southeastern Finland in response to an emergency warning about a possible threat in the airspace. The alert had been raised in border areas of Latvia, and the Finnish Defence Forces confirmed to Yle that control measures had been strengthened.

Prior to these events, Ukraine had apologized to the Baltic states and Finland for drones falling on their territory.