Finnish authorities detonate stray Ukrainian drone in controlled explosion

Finnish police have detonated a Ukrainian AN-196 drone that strayed into the country, with authorities confirming the site near Kouvola has been cleared and secured. The drone, believed to carry an unexploded warhead, was destroyed late Sunday for safety reasons, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The explosion site, located in a forested area north of Kouvola, showed few visible traces of the incident by Monday evening. The ground had been leveled, and surrounding trees appeared undamaged, according to Yle’s visual journalist Antro Valo, who visited the location after police lifted the area’s isolation.

The drone was first discovered by local resident Antti Syrjänen, who lives roughly 100 meters from the crash site. Finnish Air Force officials later confirmed the device was a Ukrainian AN-196 model, equipped with what authorities described as a potentially live combat payload.

Authorities emphasized that the controlled detonation was a precautionary measure to eliminate any risk posed by the stray drone.