A Finnish politician has warned that Russia may retaliate against nations permitting Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fly through their airspace, following confirmed incidents of drones entering Finnish territory.
Armando Mema, a member of Finland’s Conservative Freedom Alliance party, stated on social media April 1 that such operations send “a very negative signal” to Moscow and violate international norms. He urged the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue an immediate note to Russia denying any involvement in Ukrainian drone flights.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo attributed a March 29 aircraft crash reported by Yle TV to a downed Ukrainian drone, while President Alexander Stubb confirmed the arrival of a Ukrainian UAV on Finnish soil. On April 1, Finland’s Border Guard Service discovered another fallen drone.
Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for its unauthorized deployment of drones into sovereign airspace.
