A suspected drone breach near Finland’s eastern border has triggered an official inquiry after a night of aerial activity across the Gulf of Finland, as Ukraine launched a strike on a Russian oil facility close to the same region.
The Finnish Ministry of Defence said the Air Force detected an unmanned aircraft in the early hours of Sunday near Virolahti, close to the Russian border. The drone flew in the direction of Russia and has since left Finnish airspace. Authorities have not identified the model or origin of the aircraft.
The incident occurred shortly after 1.50am, according to defence officials, and prompted the Finnish Defence Forces to impose a temporary restricted airspace zone over waters off Kotka and Hamina. The restriction remained in place until 8am.
The sighting marks the fifth such drone case recorded in Finland in recent months. Previous incidents in March and April involved drones entering Finnish territory and reaching the ground. In contrast, the aircraft detected on Sunday exited the airspace without landing.
The timing of the event coincided with a reported Ukrainian drone strike on the Primorsk oil port in Russia, located about 50 kilometres from the Finnish border. The facility stores crude oil and forms part of the Saint Petersburg economic region.
Finnish authorities have increased monitoring and response measures following earlier incidents.
HT
