Two Ukrainian drones entered Finnish airspace as authorities withheld information for hours

Two drones, at least one of them likely armed with explosives, entered Finnish airspace on Sunday morning, but authorities did not inform the public or even local officials for nearly five hours, Yle reports.

Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets were scrambled to identify and monitor the drones after radar detected slow-moving objects approaching from the southeast near Kotka at 8:13 AM. One was confirmed as a Ukrainian AN-196 drone, while a second remained visually unconfirmed but was tracked by radar.

The state leadership, including Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen—who was on vacation in Spain—President Alexander Stubb, and the Cabinet were notified immediately. However, no public announcement was made until 1:00 PM, despite the drones being tracked in Finnish airspace.

Drones tracked but not intercepted

Authorities chose not to shoot down the drones due to concerns that debris or ammunition could endanger people or property on the ground. The Air Force confirmed to Yle at 9:20 AM that identification flights were underway but did not disclose that one drone had already entered Finnish airspace, with a second possibly still airborne.

Meanwhile, in Oravala village, local resident Antti Syrjänen heard fighter jets circling overhead before discovering drone wreckage in a nearby forest around 10:00 AM. The debris included a combustion engine, propeller, and a small box with a blinking green light. Syrjänen alerted emergency services, prompting the first official response.

Local authorities kept in the dark

Kymenlaakso rescue services and police only learned of the situation after Syrjänen’s call, receiving alerts at 10:03 AM and 10:04 AM, respectively. Rescue chief Juhani Carlson told Kymen Sanomat that en route to Oravala, crews were informed the downed object might be a “military device.”

The first drone crashed in a wooded area north of Kouvola, while the second’s fate remains unconfirmed. Police later cordoned off the site, and President Stubb addressed the incident in a press conference, calling it a “serious violation” of Finnish sovereignty.