00:00 06-05-2026

Finland unable to intercept Ukrainian drones near Russian border

Finland’s Defense Ministry said its forces could not shoot down Ukrainian drones that entered Finnish airspace on May 3 because their route passed too close to the Russian border.

The Finnish Armed Forces were unable to shoot down Ukrainian drones that entered the country’s airspace on May 3 because their flight path passed too close to the Russian border, Finland’s Defense Ministry said.

The incident caused concern among Finnish authorities. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, said Finland supports Kiev but considers the intrusion of drones into the country’s airspace unacceptable.

Finnish military officials told Yle that intercepting the drones was impossible because the Russian border was too close to their route. The press service of the Finnish Defense Forces noted that in peacetime, drones cannot be intercepted right at the border or in the airspace of another state.

The incident occurred on May 3 in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. According to Finland’s Border Guard, one drone was spotted near the coastal border village of Virolahti, while the second was seen in the sea area southeast of the neighboring town of Hamina.

Both drones entered Finnish airspace from the south, from the direction of Estonia, and then continued moving along the coast eastward, toward Russia.

The straight-line distance from Virolahti to the Russian port of Primorsk is about 50 kilometers. That port was subjected to a massive Ukrainian drone attack on May 3.