Finnish police warn more drones may be found after fourth discovery

Finnish authorities are investigating a fourth drone found in the country, with the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) stating that additional drones could still be located in Finnish territory, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The drone discovered Saturday in Iitti, southeastern Finland, is believed to have entered the country alongside three others found earlier. All four are confirmed to be of Ukrainian origin, according to Risto Lohi, chief inspector and lead investigator of the drone cases at the KRP.

“Based on current understanding, we cannot rule out that more may have ended up or could still end up in Finland,” Lohi said. “The assessment is that these are individual drones.”

The Iitti drone was found in a sparsely populated area by a civilian, who immediately reported the discovery to emergency services. Authorities secured the site and collected the drone’s components for technical analysis. Investigators are now comparing the device to the three previously recovered drones, which were initially reported to be of the AN-196 model.

However, Lohi confirmed that the drones are smaller than previously stated, with explosives payloads also significantly lighter than earlier estimates. Experts cited by Yle suggest the devices may be the smaller, less expensive “Chaika” model.

“These are clearly smaller in size than previously reported, and the suspected amount of explosives has been significantly less than in the images of the aircraft presented in public,” Lohi said.

He urged the public not to touch any drones found in the field due to potential explosion risks. “Whenever an aircraft or drone suspected of carrying explosives is found, it must not be touched. If such a device is spotted, emergency services must be notified immediately so authorities can assess the situation,” Lohi emphasised.

The KRP is currently investigating four separate drone incidents in Finland.