Finland completes investigation into incidents involving Ukrainian UAVs

Finnish authorities have completed an investigation into four cases where Ukrainian military drones carrying explosives ended up on Finnish territory in the spring. The investigation found that Finland was not the target of the drones, and the deviation from the route was due to strong interference with satellite navigation and weather conditions.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation and the Border Guard. Finnish border guards considered the incidents as a violation of the state border, and the police examined a possible criminal offense related to creating serious danger.

The investigation established that all four drones arrived from the territory of Ukraine, were of similar military models and carried explosives. Three devices were discovered in March in the areas of Kouvola, Luumäki and Parikkala, and another in April near Iitti.

According to Finnish authorities, one of the drones likely exploded in mid-air. The other three were destroyed by controlled detonations after discovery.

As a result of the investigation, law enforcement found no grounds to continue the case for the purpose of bringing anyone to criminal liability. The proceedings on the incidents have been closed.

The authorities particularly emphasized that none of the drones were directed against Finland. According to the Border Guard, the devices were part of Ukrainian actions in response to Russian aggression and were initially moving toward targets on Russian territory.

The investigation concluded that the deviation of the drones was facilitated by strong interference with the global satellite navigation system GNSS, which at that time was recorded in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. An additional factor was the weather: the wind blew almost from the south and could also have influenced the movement of the devices.

In none of the four cases were people injured, and no property damage was recorded.

After the discovery of one of the Ukrainian drones near Kouvola, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologized to Finland and emphasized that the Ukrainian side under no circumstances struck Finnish territory.

Based on materials from: Yle