Finland scrambles fighter jets after drone spotted in country’s airspace

Authorities raised an alert at 3:49 a.m., warning residents in Uusimaa to remain indoors. Air traffic at Helsinki was temporarily suspended, and maritime traffic in the Gulf of Finland was rerouted. A temporary flight ban was imposed in the region from 4 a.m.

The Finnish Air Force scrambled Hornet fighter jets. Military helicopters and naval vessels were deployed as well. Finnish Border Services were on heightened alert. The military reported that the drone likely flew between Helsinki and Porvoo.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on X that the country was not facing a direct military threat. Interior Minister Mari Rantanen reassured that it was safe to go to school and work. Authorities have since confirmed that the threat has passed and air traffic has resumed.

Airspace violations over Nordic countries

Unknown drones violated Finnish airspace over the municipality of Virolahti near the Russian-Finnish border earlier this May. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo discussed the incident with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a bilateral meeting in Armenia. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen condemned the violation of Finland’s airspace by Ukrainian drones that most probably went off course.

Drones entered Latvian airspace from Russia and crashed near an oil depot on May 7. Another drone crashed into a power plant smokestack in Estonia on March 25. Tallinn later claimed it was a Ukrainian drone that strayed off course.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha clarified that the incident was caused by Russian electronic warfare countermeasures.

On May 10, Estonia urged Ukraine to maintain tighter control over its drones, with Kyiv promising to send experts to the region.