Finland lifts drone alert as regional tensions ease slightly

Finland Launches Emergency Response After Suspected Drone Activity

A suspected drone activity above the Helsinki region prompted Finland’s authorities to launch an emergency response, including the deployment of fighter jets and closure of the capital’s airport. The situation was deemed non-threatening after a few hours, and normalcy has been restored.

According to reports, the Helsinki City Rescue Department issued a warning to nearly 2 million inhabitants in the Uusimaa region to stay indoors starting at approximately 4am local time (1:00 GMT). Fighter jets were scrambled, and Helsinki’s airport was closed for about three hours. President Alexander Stubb later stated that authorities had “demonstrated their readiness and capacity to react,” adding that Finland is currently facing “no direct military threat.”

The incident occurred amid growing concerns about regional spillover from the ongoing Ukraine war. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have reported suspected Ukrainian drones entering their airspace, prompting criticism over their ability to respond to military threats.

In related news, Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported that its air defence systems shot down 355 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow overnight, as well as border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk. Ukraine maintained its drone attacks on Russian oil and energy infrastructure, with the latest strike killing two dozen people in a huge attack.

Meanwhile, Finland’s Ministry of the Interior reported that the country had received information from Ukraine about potential drone activity, but there was no evidence that drones had entered Finnish territory. Defence forces operations chief Kari Nisula suggested that such situations could happen again as long as Russia continues its war on Ukraine.

In other developments, a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine saw 205 POWs repatriated on each side on Friday, with the two sides also conducting an exchange of those killed in the fighting.

Source: Al Jazeera