Finland’s eastern border fence cannot yet detect drones, says Lapland Border Guard deputy commander

Finland’s eastern border fence is not yet capable of detecting drones, according to Lieutenant Colonel Jouni Lahtinen, the new deputy commander of the Lapland Border Guard, as reported by Yle. Lahtinen also confirmed that artificial intelligence will be integrated into border surveillance to help distinguish humans from animals.

Lahtinen said it is possible that drones from Ukraine or Russia could drift into Lapland, though he does not consider it highly likely. “Everything is possible. Drones crossing into Finland is a very unpleasant phenomenon. If it were to happen in Lapland, I would hope they would drift toward wilderness areas,” he said.

The eastern border fence has already been completed in the south and is set to extend to Lapland by the end of the year, covering the Salla and Raja-Jooseppi areas near Inari. The fence’s cameras and technology are not currently capable of detecting drones.

“We are continuously assessing how the border fence infrastructure and platform can also be used for drone detection,” Lahtinen said.

A pilot project testing drone detection is already underway in southeastern Finland, involving cooperation between the Border Guard and private companies. Lahtinen said he is awaiting the results of that initiative before considering how it might be applied in northern conditions.

On the use of artificial intelligence, Lahtinen said AI will definitely be incorporated into the Lapland border fence setup. “Our systems need to be able to identify whether it is a mouse, a bear, an elk, or a human,” he said. The goal is to allow scarce personnel resources to be directed where they are most needed.

Lahtinen drew a comparison to automated border checks introduced at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport nearly 20 years ago, which at the time prompted fears of job losses. “They became standard and many of us have used automated border control,” he said, adding that AI has not been found to replace border guards.

On the question of using AI to neutralise drones, Lahtinen was clear that such decisions must remain with human operators. A drone must first be positively identified to ensure it is not a small civilian aircraft or other ordinary aerial vehicle. “We work at the very core of people’s fundamental rights and with potentially persecuted, vulnerable asylum seekers. We can make use of automation and AI as much as we are able, while understanding the risks involved. Personnel remain our most important resource,” he said.

Lahtinen, originally from Lapinlahti in the Upper Savo region, takes up the post of deputy commander of the Lapland Border Guard on 1 May 2026. He moves to the role from the position of head of the communications unit at the Border Guard headquarters, having previously served with the Southeast Finland Border Guard, the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard, and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex in Poland. His predecessor, Lieutenant Colonel Mikko Kauppila, transferred to Border Guard headquarters in Helsinki at the start of 2025.