The Air Force observed a 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 has reported Ukrainian drone attacks in western parts of the country this morning.
Leningrad Region Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko writes on Telegram that Primorsk in the Gulf of Finland, whose oil port has been the target of repeated Ukrainian attacks in recent months, has been attacked by drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms on X that Ukrainian forces have knocked out a Russian ship in Primorsk capable of carrying Kalibr anti-ship missiles. In addition to the ship, a patrol boat and a tanker from the Russian shadow fleet were also hit. Ukraine has also caused “significant damage” to the port’s infrastructure, Zelenskyy writes.
“Window shook”
The incident with the drone over Finland is being investigated as an airspace violation.
The newspaper Iltalehti reports several eyewitness accounts of low-flying fighter jets in the area. A Yle reporter says he was woken up by fighter jets at around 4am.
"There were two clear, loud bangs followed by a shock wave that made the cabin's windows shake," he says.
In Estonia, general warnings about suspicious drones were also issued in the eastern parts of the country during the night until Sunday, reports the public service broadcaster ERR, according to Hufvudstadsbladet.
Finland received an apology
The Latvian Defence Forces also reported during the night and early morning 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, reports LSM.
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.
