Finland's defence ministry said on Thursday evening it suspected that a Russian aircraft had violated its airspace earlier in the day. Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a ministry statement: "Every suspected violation of air space is taken seriously. An investigation is underway."
The incident adds to a series of similar cases in Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia. According to the defence ministry, Finland suspects two Russian military aircraft of having entered Finnish airspace in May and June, and summoned the Russian charge d'affaires at the time.
The country has been on high alert since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, according to reporting by Yahoo News New Zealand and Euronews. The war prompted Finland to abandon its long-standing policy of military non-alignment and join NATO in April 2023.
Drone risks flagged in intelligence report
The suspected violation came as Finnish military intelligence released a report updating the country's security situation. Ahead of the report's release, Major General Pekka Turunen, chief of Finnish Defence Intelligence, said the risk of drones drifting into Finland as a result of the war in Ukraine is rising.
"The risk of a drone drifting into Finnish airspace or onto Finnish territory is growing all the time, the more Ukraine strikes in this area near the Gulf of Finland," Turunen said.
The report highlighted the risk of long-range drones drifting into Finland, Euronews reported. It also noted that while Finland's security situation has deteriorated since 2022, it had remained largely unchanged compared to a year ago.
Europe on alert over drone incidents
The Finnish development comes amid heightened concern across Europe about drone activity near NATO borders. According to Euronews, drone flyovers into NATO airspace reached an unprecedented scale last September, prompting European leaders to agree to develop a "drone wall" along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones violating European airspace.
In November, NATO military officials said a new US anti-drone system had been deployed to the alliance's eastern flank, Euronews reported. Following a violation of Polish airspace, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the Eastern Sentry programme, which aims to deter further Russian incursions.
Earlier on Thursday, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet destroyed an explosive-laden maritime drone close to Europe's largest offshore gas project, hours after another drone entered the NATO member's airspace and crashed near the Ukrainian border, according to Euronews.
Some European officials described the incidents as Moscow testing NATO's response, Euronews reported. The Kremlin dismissed allegations that Russia is behind some unidentified drone flights in Europe as "unfounded."