Finnish authorities detonate drone that crashed near residential area

Finnish police carried out a controlled detonation late Sunday night of a drone that had crashed near Kouvola in southeastern Finland, national broadcaster Yle reports.

The National Bureau of Investigation confirmed Monday that one of two drones that entered Finnish airspace was rendered safe through detonation in Kouvola’s northern Oravala district. Local resident Seppo Yli-Kiikka told Yle he heard a loud explosion around 11:30 PM Sunday, describing the noise as intense though no shockwave followed.

“I started wondering whether the drone had exploded on its own or if it was detonated,” Yli-Kiikka said. He estimated the blast site was less than a kilometer from his home on Myllysillantie, adding that he spent much of the night listening for further sounds.

A second drone crashed near the border between Kouvola and Luumäki, where authorities are investigating whether it exploded on impact. Antti Parkko, a Kouvola resident staying at a summer cottage in Luumäki, reported hearing a loud blast Sunday morning near Tervajärvi’s Kannuskoski area. He saw a Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet jet circling the site shortly afterward.

Parkko, who was walking his dog when he heard the explosion around 9 AM, initially thought the fighter jet had fired a shot. “Maybe it was the drone’s explosive charge instead,” he later speculated. Local residents told Yle the blast shook coffee tables and rattled windows in nearby homes.

Finnish Defence Forces, Border Guard, and police continue to investigate both crash sites, which remain cordoned off. Authorities have not reported additional drone sightings since Sunday. At least one of the drones has been identified as Ukrainian, though officials have not confirmed whether both originated from Ukraine.