Ukrainian drones entered Finnish airspace before crashing in Kouvola region

Two Ukrainian drones crossed into Finnish airspace on Sunday morning before crashing in southeastern Finland, according to the Finnish Air Force and police reports.

The drones approached Finland’s territorial waters at 8:13 AM, the Air Force stated. By 8:45 AM, one was identified as a Ukrainian AN-196 drone south of Kouvola. At 10:04 AM, police received reports of a downed aerial device in Oravala, Kouvola. A second drone crashed in Luumäki, east of Kouvola.

Finnish police confirmed on Monday that suspected drone sightings in Pyhtää, Kymenlaakso, were likely connected to the same Ukrainian drones. The exact flight path over Finland remains under investigation.

Estonia’s defense forces reported that the drones traveled along the Russian-Estonian border on the Russian side before reaching the Gulf of Finland. The drones initially headed west over the sea after passing Narva, then turned toward their targets: the Russian oil ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga at the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland. The strikes were carried out from the direction of the Gulf of Finland.

Russia has claimed that Baltic states allow Ukraine to use their airspace for drone attacks, an allegation the Baltic nations have firmly denied. The drones’ launch sites in Ukraine are unknown, but their route suggests they likely flew through Belarus and Russia—or solely Russia—before entering Finnish airspace.