The Air Force observed the drone in eastern Finland around Vederlax, near the border with Russia, approximately 200 kilometers west of St. Petersburg, early Sunday.
It is unclear where it came from, but Russia reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the western parts of the country this morning. The Russian air defense says it has shot down more than 50 drones in the Leningrad region, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, according to the Ansa news agency.
Vederlax is also located near the Russian oil port of Primorsk, which is a recurring target for Ukrainian drone attacks.
“Window shook”
At 08:30, the Finnish Air Force said the drone was no longer in Finnish airspace. The incident is being investigated as an airspace violation.
The newspaper Iltalehti received several reports from witnesses of low-flying fighter jets in the area. A Yle reporter also said he was woken at around 4am.
"There were two clear, loud bangs followed by a shock wave that made the cabin's windows shake," he said.
In Estonia, general warnings about suspicious drones were also issued in the eastern parts of the country during the night until Sunday, the public service broadcaster ERR reported, according to Hufvudstadsbladet.
Finland received an apology
The Latvian Defence Forces also reported during the night and early morning about a "potential threat" in the eastern parts of the country. Residents in the area received text messages warning them to stay indoors, but after a few hours the danger was over, LSM reported.
At the end of March, several drones crashed in southeastern Finland. They were later found to be Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian government apologized to Finland.
Under no circumstances have Ukrainian drones been aimed at Finland, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said at the time.
Ukrainian attack drones have also been shot down by mistake in Estonia and Latvia during the spring.
