Finland: Siltanews – News Desk
Finland’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it summoned Russia’s ambassador in Helsinki over a suspected violation of Finnish airspace last week.
Finnish authorities said Friday that they believed two Russian military aircraft entered the country’s airspace off the coast of Porvoo, a city in southern Finland. The Finnish Border Guard was said to be investigating the incident.
“The [Russian] ambassador was told that Finland takes the suspected territorial violation seriously,” the Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
The ambassador had indicated he would pass on the message, the ministry said without elaborating. Russia’s embassy in Helsinki did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert after a string of underwater cable and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
NATO boosted its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft and naval drones amid the incidents.
Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has summoned Russia’s ambassador, Pavel Kuznetsov, following suspicions that two Russian military aircraft violated Finnish airspace near the city of Porvoo on May 23. The incident marks the first suspected breach of Finnish airspace by Russian aircraft since February.
Finnish authorities have launched an investigation, with the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard conducting a preliminary inquiry into the matter. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen emphasized that Finland takes the suspected violation seriously and will formally request an explanation from Moscow.
The Baltic Sea region has been on high alert due to recent disruptions to underwater cables and gas pipelines since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. NATO has increased its presence in the area, deploying frigates, aircraft, and naval drones to monitor security threats.
Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, has been closely monitoring Russian military activity near its borders. Officials have expressed concerns about Russia’s growing military presence in the region, particularly its efforts to protect tankers belonging to its shadow fleet in the Gulf of Finland.
The Russian embassy in Helsinki has not yet issued a public response regarding the incident.