The Finnish Air Force confirmed the crash of a Ukrainian drone in the country

Finland has reported a violation of its airspace by several drones. According to local military officials, one of the aircraft that crashed in the Kouvola area was Ukrainian.

After the incident, Finnish authorities scrambled fighter jets, tightened control in border areas, and described what happened as a violation of territorial integrity.

The UAVs were detected on March 29 near Kouvola, about 285 kilometers from St. Petersburg. The area was quickly cordoned off, and law enforcement agencies began working at the scene. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that, according to the preliminary assessment, the drones were Ukrainian. According to him, they were not shot down but fell on their own. Finland’s Ministry of Defense stressed that it is treating the incident with the utmost seriousness. It later became known that one drone had already been identified as Ukrainian, while the origin of another is still being determined. Yet another unidentified UAV was found in Espoo.

President Alexander Stubb said that there is no direct military threat to Finland and thanked the services for their prompt response. After the incident, the country’s Defense Forces stepped up surveillance over Finnish territory, especially in the southwest and in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The military also noted that they are prepared to intercept drones that cross the border, whether accidentally or intentionally.

On March 31, the parliamentary defense committee will hold an extraordinary meeting. Finnish experts believe that the drones that ended up on Finnish territory most likely went off course amid ongoing Ukrainian attacks in the St. Petersburg and Leningrad region area. Military officials also explained that shooting down drones over residential areas is dangerous, so such decisions are made with the risk to civilians in mind.