Finland’s government has begun a review of its emergency warning systems after a drone threat linked to the war in Ukraine prompted authorities to issue shelter warnings across Uusimaa and disrupted schools, daycare centres and public services for almost two million people.
The alert, issued early on Friday morning, followed intelligence that explosive-carrying drones involved in Ukrainian strikes inside Russia risked drifting towards Finnish territory across the Gulf of Finland. Authorities urged residents to remain indoors while defence and interior ministry officials monitored the situation.
No drones entered Finland. The warning ended shortly after 7am.
Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen defended the authorities’ response on Saturday and rejected criticism that Finland lacked preparation for drone threats.
“We were not caught unprepared. We have good preparedness for military threats,” Häkkänen said in an interview with Yle’s Ykkösaamu programme.
Häkkänen said early intelligence reports did not provide certainty about the number of drones that could approach Finland. He said officials initially considered scenarios involving several aircraft before later assessments reduced the estimate to only a few.
He said Finland prepared “strong measures” in case the drones crossed into Finnish airspace and added that the Finnish Defence Forces possessed the ability to intercept them if required.
According to Häkkänen, drones operating near the eastern Gulf of Finland in recent months have created new risks for neighbouring countries because technical failures or Russian electronic warfare measures could divert aircraft from their intended routes.
Ukraine carried out large-scale drone strikes inside Russia during the same night. One reported target lay near Pskov, around 300 kilometres from the Finnish coast.
The warning also exposed weaknesses in Finland’s emergency communication systems.
Members of parliament’s defence committee told Finnish media they learned about the situation through television and public broadcasts instead of official channels. Häkkänen acknowledged shortcomings and said the government would move ahead with a new warning system designed to reach people at local level more effectively.
The Orpo government has already allocated funding for the project.
“This is not rocket science,” Häkkänen told Yle. “Finland now needs a plan that reaches down to local level.”
The current warning system relies heavily on the national 112 emergency platform. Finland’s Emergency Response Centre Agency later apologised after residents reported confusion and delays receiving alerts.
The disruption spread quickly into schools and daycare centres across the Helsinki region.
In Vantaa, schools delayed opening until 10am. According to Ilta-Sanomat, officials informed families through the Wilma school communication platform, though some parents said they received the messages too late and children had already left for school.
Yle reported on Monday morning that city officials in Helsinki held a crisis meeting at 6.30am while the warning remained active. The city later decided to continue services as normal after the danger alert ended, though communication varied between schools.
Some parents received notices stating classes would begin later than planned. Other schools issued no warning before the situation ended.
Several daycare centres opened late because workers followed instructions to stay indoors or faced delays on public transport.
Nurmijärvi municipality briefly went further than other local authorities and announced schools, libraries and youth facilities would close for the day. According to Iltalehti, the municipality later reversed the decision after the all-clear announcement and resumed services under normal schedules.
Parents were initially advised to keep children away from daycare centres and municipal staff were told to work remotely or move indoors.
The rapid changes produced inconsistent messages across municipalities and schools, with some families receiving multiple updates within a short period.
Helsinki’s education department plans a review of crisis communication procedures next week together with security and communications specialists.
HT