Officials told Finnish public broadcaster Yle that the UAV was found Tuesday morning on the ice of Lake Pyhäjärvi, on the border between the municipalities of Parikkala and Kitee. The area around the crash site was immediately cordoned off and a no-fly zone was imposed.
The Central Criminal Police opened a preliminary investigation into the incident. Authorities said actions at the scene may have produced a brief, loud noise. Police later said the drone was neutralized by a controlled detonation on the afternoon of April 1.
On March 29, several drones violated Finnish airspace and fell in the country’s southeast. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the drones that entered Finland were likely Ukrainian. Asked whether Ukrainian drones that accidentally enter Finland would be shot down in the future, Orpo said there is no blanket order; such decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Ukrainian officials subsequently apologized to Finland for
the incident. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said the drones that
fell in Finland were not heading toward the country and likely came down
because of Russian electronic warfare.