Two unidentified drones crashed in southern Finland on Sunday in what authorities described as a suspected violation of the country’s airspace, prompting an investigation and heightened security response.
The drones came down near the city of Kouvola, with one landing north of the area and another to the east, according to Finland’s defence ministry. Police have cordoned off both locations as investigators work to determine the origin and purpose of the aircraft.
Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said the incident was being taken seriously, confirming that “a few low-flying slow objects” had been detected in Finnish airspace earlier in the day, both over the sea and in southeastern parts of the country. The Finnish air force dispatched an F/A-18 Hornet fighter plane to identify the objects.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo suggested the drones may have originated from Ukraine, noting that Kyiv has recently carried out strikes in nearby Russian regions. He added that signal jamming by Russia could have caused the drones to deviate from their intended route. However, officials stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and no definitive conclusions have been reached.
The incident highlights growing security concerns in northern Europe as the war in Ukraine continues to spill over borders. Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre frontier with Russia, has remained on heightened alert amid increased military activity in the region. Authorities said further details would be released once the investigation is complete.
Most recently, a Ukrainian drone exploded in Estonia near Tartu, 75 kilometers from the Russian border. That incident was also blamed on Russian interference.
