Finland ends investigations into four Ukrainian military drones

Finnish authorities have ended investigations into four military-use drones that fell in Finland this spring, Yle reported. The National Bureau of Investigation and the Finnish Border Guard announced the decision on Wednesday.

The completed pre-trial investigations confirmed that the drones originated in Ukraine. Authorities said GNSS interference detected at the time, together with the prevailing weather conditions, contributed to the drones straying into Finland.

The Finnish Border Guard investigated the incidents as territorial violations. The National Bureau of Investigation examined them as aggravated negligent endangerment and negligent endangerment.

According to the authorities, the investigations produced no evidence that would justify continuing efforts to establish criminal liability. The prosecutor therefore ended the pre-trial investigations.

The authorities stressed that ending the investigations does not mean the aircraft did not enter Finnish airspace unlawfully.

The drones were found in March in Kouvola, Luumäki and Parikkala, and in April in Iitti. In the Luumäki case, police suspected that the drone had exploded in the air.

Two additional drones violated Finnish airspace in May. The latest case became public on Wednesday, when the Ministry of Defence announced that a drone had been found the previous day off Porvoo, in the Pellinge coastal area. The Finnish Border Guard later confirmed to Yle that it was Russian-made and carried no explosives.