Drones Crash in Finland, PM Orpo Suggests Ukrainian Origin

The drones came down in separate locations near Kouvola, with one landing north of the town and the other to the east. Police have cordoned off both crash sites as investigations continue.

Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornets were airborne in the area at the time. However, the Ministry of Defence clarified that the aircraft were conducting a reconnaissance mission. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo later confirmed that no force had been used against the drones, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said the authorities are treating the incident with utmost seriousness. "The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be provided once it has been confirmed," he said.

Public broadcaster Yle reported that a local resident alerted police at 10.04 a.m. after noticing an object falling into a nearby forest.

In a separate statement, police said they were "working to determine the origin of the flying objects".

In a radio interview, Orpo suggested that the drones were likely Ukrainian. He noted that Russia frequently engages in electronic interference against drones, which may have caused drones to veer off course into Finnish territory. He also emphasised the need for Finland to strengthen its preparedness to counter drone-related incidents.

Ukraine has recently targeted Russian sites at the Russian end of the Gulf of Finland. A major fire broke out at Russia's Ust-Luga port on Sunday following a wave of drone attacks over the past week, Russian media reported.

On Wednesday, Estonia and Latvia reported that drones entered their airspace from Russia. Latvia's National Armed Forces (NBS) stated that its air force detected an unmanned aircraft entering Latvian airspace from Russia. According to the statement, wreckage of the drone was found at the spot; however, no casualties were reported during the incident.

"Drone enters Latvian airspace and crashes. The Air Force has identified a foreign unmanned aircraft entering Latvian airspace from Russia. Early warning systems detected a sound similar to an explosion in the Kraslava region. The National Armed Forces, the State Police and the State Border Guard units are at the scene. Wreckage of the drone has been found at the scene. No further threat to the safety of civilians and Latvian airspace has been identified. No civilians were injured and no damage was caused to civilian infrastructure. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. The Kraslava municipality has been informed about the incident," Latvia's NBS posted on X.

Estonia's internal security ISS said that one drone "struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant" in Estonia while another fell on Latvian territory, Euro News reported. The Auvere power plant is located near Estonia's Narva town on the Russian border.

- IANS