Finland is investigating two drones that crossed into its airspace and crashed in the southeast, after Ukraine said the aircraft had not been aimed at Finland and\u00a0that Russian electronic interference was the likely cause.<\/p>\n
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Finnish authorities are investigating two drones that entered the country and came down in southeastern Finland on Sunday, in an incident that has drawn an apology from Ukraine and prompted a joint response from police, border guards and the military.<\/p>\n
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One drone landed north of Kouvola and was later destroyed in a controlled explosion after investigators concluded that it carried an unexploded warhead. The second came down in Luum\u00e4ki, where officials are still examining whether it exploded on impact.<\/p>\n
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The National Bureau of Investigation said the Kouvola drone was made safe late on Sunday after a preliminary assessment found an undetonated combat payload attached to the aircraft. The blast operation began at 23:30. Residents in the area reported hearing an explosion during the night.<\/p>\n
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Most evacuated residents were allowed to return home before morning. Police said further controlled detonations linked to the investigation would also be carried out in the Savisto area near Kouvola, adding that they did not pose a risk to people nearby.<\/p>\n
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The second drone fell in the Luum\u00e4ki area between two lakes. Investigators have found debris scattered on the ground and suspect that part of the aircraft may also be in the water. Border Guard divers have joined the search.<\/p>\n
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The police and the Border Guard are examining the cases together. The criminal investigation is being handled under a provisional charge of aggravated endangerment. The Border Guard is also investigating a suspected territorial violation.<\/p>\n
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Officials have not yet confirmed the origin of both drones through the criminal inquiry, though the Finnish Air Force has identified one of the aircraft as a Ukrainian AN-196. The other has not been publicly identified.<\/p>\n
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The Air Force said it detected several slow, low flying objects over sea areas and southeastern Finland from 08:13 on Sunday. Hornet fighters were scrambled to identify them visually. One of the objects was identified at 08:45 south of Kouvola as a Ukrainian AN-196 drone. The Air Force said it did not open fire because of the risk of collateral damage.<\/p>\n
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Some of the radar contacts seen during the operation later turned out to be flocks of birds. By that stage, two drones had already crashed on Finnish territory.<\/p>\n
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On Monday, Ukraine confirmed that both aircraft were Ukrainian and issued an apology to Finland.<\/p>\n
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A representative of Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry said the drones were not targeting Finland \u201cunder any circumstances\u201d. Kyiv said the most likely reason they ended up in Finland was Russian electronic interference. Ukraine\u2019s embassy in Helsinki said it was sharing all necessary information with Finnish authorities.<\/p>\n
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