Finnish navy prepared to down drone over Gulf of Finland but air force denied permission

The Finnish navy was ready to shoot down one of the drones that later crashed in the Kouvola region but did not receive authorization from the air force, Yle reports.

Enhanced surveillance in the eastern Gulf of Finland continues, with the navy and border guard patrolling the area with multiple vessels. On the night of Sunday, March 29, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Primorsk (Koivisto) oil terminal—an attack observed both by technical means and visually from Finnish naval ships.

Operational commander Marko Laaksonen confirmed that while the navy had a drone in its sights and was prepared to down it over the sea, the air force—responsible for air defense—did not grant permission to fire.

“We were ready, but the criteria for interception were not met,” Laaksonen stated.

The incident marked the first confirmed case of drones entering Finnish territory. Defense forces estimate more may yet be found, including in sea areas.

Drones and “shadow fleet” tankers strain surveillance

Finnish authorities monitor the movement of Russia’s aging “shadow fleet” tankers, which transport oil despite international sanctions. GPS jamming by Russia disrupts drone navigation, sometimes causing them to stray into Finnish airspace.

“We’ve seen flashes on the horizon, smoke plumes, and other signs of attacks,” said Joonas Perttunen, captain of the missile boat Hanko, which has patrolled the area for nearly two weeks.

The border guard’s deputy commander for the Gulf of Finland, Ilja Iljin, noted that oil traffic has returned to pre-attack levels, with 250–440 vessels—including poorly navigated tankers—passing daily. Some crews lack traditional navigation skills, occasionally requesting their location from Finnish authorities.

“There have been cases where shadow fleet navigators asked us, ‘Where exactly are we?’ because their positioning wasn’t reliable,” Iljin said.

Surveillance efforts, including additional personnel and technical monitoring, are expected to continue for weeks.