Officials: Preliminary inquiry finds Pelling drone was Russian

Officials have told Yle that a drone found in the Pelling archipelago in Porvoo on Tuesday was Russian, according to a preliminary investigation.

The Ministry of Defence said the find was being investigated as a possible territorial violation. The Border Guard and police are conducting the investigation, which is still ongoing.

It is not yet known how the drone ended up among the shoreline rocks on an island in Pelling. It may have gone off course, fallen into the sea or drifted ashore.

The drone is believed to have been designed for surveying or photography. The Border Guard said on Wednesday that it contained no explosives and measured a few metres in size.

Authorities are also investigating the drone’s origin, possible flight or drift routes, and the circumstances in which it reached the Porvoo shoreline.