Russia spreading false claims about Finland drone incidents, security police warn

Finland’s Security Intelligence Service (Supo) has accused Russia of spreading disinformation about recent drone incidents in Finland, according to a report by national broadcaster Yle.

Since Sunday, authorities have confirmed three cases where Ukrainian drones are suspected of straying into Finnish territory due to Russian GPS jamming. On Thursday, a fourth suspected drone was being searched for in Parikkala, South Karelia, following a tip from the public.

Supo stated that Russian media has already interpreted the events in line with the Kremlin’s narrative, falsely claiming—contrary to fact—that Finland had allowed drones to be launched from its own territory.

The agency assesses that Russia is likely exploiting the incidents for its own influence operations, framing Finland as an unfriendly state. “It is entirely possible that more drones will stray into Finnish territory in the future due to Russia’s GNSS [satellite navigation] interference,” Supo told Yle.

Ukraine has recently targeted Russian oil terminals in the Gulf of Finland with drone strikes, while Russia has simultaneously deployed GPS jamming in the area. Supo noted that while stray drones do not raise Finland’s espionage threat level, they do impact public order and safety.

The agency added that Russia’s propaganda aims to divert attention from its failures in countering Ukrainian strikes, particularly as energy exports—critical to funding its war—face disruption. “Russia likely seeks to shift domestic focus away from its inability to defend against these attacks by blaming Finland and other EU countries,” Supo said.

While Finland is not considered a primary target for Russian sabotage, Supo warned that Moscow may escalate such activities elsewhere in Europe in response to strikes on its energy sector. No concrete evidence of this has yet emerged.