Two unidentified drones crashed in southern Finland on Sunday, prompting concerns about a possible violation of Finnish territory, according to the Defence Ministry.
Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen stated that the drones entered Finnish airspace and called the incident “very serious.” He added that investigations were ongoing and more details would be provided once the information is verified.
The ministry reported that several objects were observed on Sunday morning flying at low altitude and slow speed over the sea and southeastern Finland.
The Finnish Air Force dispatched a fighter jet to identify the objects. One drone crashed north of Kouvola, while the other came down east of the city. Police have sealed off the crash sites for investigation, the ministry said.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia and has heightened surveillance on the Gulf of Finland following Ukrainian drone strikes on a Russian port in the region earlier this week.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, speaking to public broadcaster YLE, suggested the drones detected on Sunday were “most likely Ukrainian.”
