Ukrainian drone crashes in Finland, Kyiv responds

Several drones crashed in southeastern Finland near the Russian border, with at least one confirmed to be of Ukrainian origin, prompting an investigation and raising fresh security concerns in the region.

Finnish authorities said the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entered the country’s airspace on March 29 before falling to the ground without being intercepted. The incidents occurred near the city of Kouvola, roughly 50 kilometers from the Russian border, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“We are taking the matter very seriously,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said, adding that security services responded immediately and an investigation is ongoing.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the drones were not shot down but crashed on their own. A Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was deployed to identify the objects after several low-flying drones were detected over southeastern Finland and nearby waters.

Ukraine confirmed that it is cooperating with Finnish authorities to determine what happened but stressed that the drones were not intended to enter Finnish territory.

“Under no circumstances were any Ukrainian drones heading toward Finland,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said. He suggested the most likely cause was interference from Russian electronic warfare systems, which may have diverted the drones off course.

Kyiv has also issued an apology to Finland over the incident.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb emphasized that the situation does not pose a military threat, while Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen reiterated that Finland supports Ukraine’s right to defend itself and does not intend to restrict its military operations against Russian targets.

The drone crashes come amid continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy and military infrastructure. On March 29, Ukrainian forces targeted an oil and gas terminal at the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, marking the second such attack within a week. Earlier, on March 26, Ukrainian strikes hit the Kirishi oil refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region, which borders Finland.

Finnish officials say work is underway to strengthen the country’s defenses against drones in the coming months as security challenges in the region continue to evolve.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada