Finland condemns Ukrainian drone incursion during strike near Russian border
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen (Photo: Lehtikuva/Markku Ulander/via REUTERS)
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen condemned the violation of Finland’s airspace by Ukrainian drones that apparently went off course, Yle reported on May 5.
Ukraine was carrying out a drone attack on Russia’s oil port of Primorsk, about 50 kilometers from the Finnish border, during the incident over the Gulf of Finland on the morning of May 3.
“We will not allow this,” Häkkänen said. “They must plan their operations so that the risk of deviations due to Russian interference is minimized and so that situations like this do not happen again.”
Häkkänen said he was informed of the incident immediately. Finnish Air Force Hornet fighter jets and army helicopters were scrambled to monitor the situation, he said.
Temporary flight restrictions were later imposed in the area.
Finland’s Defense Forces said the drones were not intercepted or shot down because they were too close to the Russian border. Häkkänen also said that any use of Finnish airspace for such operations was “unacceptable.”
“The use of our airspace for operations like this is strictly prohibited,” Häkkänen said. “It is absolutely prohibited. We have made it very clear to the Ukrainian state that even these drones that strayed because of negligence are unacceptable.”
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo earlier said he discussed the violation of Finnish airspace by an unidentified drone with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting in Armenia on May 3.
Orpo believes Ukraine will be more careful to prevent drones from entering Finnish airspace after his conversation with Zelenskyy, Yle wrote.
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