A Russian aircraft suspected of violating Finnish airspace

The Finnish Ministry of Defence announced Thursday evening that it had launched an investigation following the alleged intrusion of a Russian aircraft into Finnish airspace over the western Gulf of Finland. The incident is part of a series of airspace violations that are undermining the security of NATO's northeastern flank.

The incident occurred Thursday afternoon. A Russian aircraft reportedly entered Finnish airspace in the western Gulf of Finland. Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen responded in a statement: "Every alleged violation of airspace is taken very seriously. An investigation is underway."

This is not the first time Helsinki has faced this type of incident. In May and then again in June, two Russian military aircraft were suspected of having crossed the country's airspace. On each occasion, Finland summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia. Since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its security situation has deteriorated, although military intelligence considers it to have remained broadly stable compared to the previous year. The country broke with decades of non-alignment to join NATO in April 2023.

An updated report on the Finnish security situation was published on Thursday. Major General Pekka Turunen, head of Finnish military intelligence (FDI), highlighted a growing threat: "The risk of a drone drifting into Finnish airspace or territory is constantly increasing, as Ukraine conducts strikes in this area near the Gulf of Finland." He had already issued this warning in January.

The entire European continent is facing increased aerial pressure. A series of unprecedented drone incursions into NATO airspace last September led European leaders to agree on the establishment of a "drone wall" along their borders. In November, a US counter-drone system was deployed on the Alliance's eastern flank. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also announced the creation of the Eastern Sentry program, designed to deter further Russian incursions, following a violation of Polish airspace.

On Thursday, a Romanian F-16 destroyed a maritime drone laden with explosives near Europe's largest offshore gas project, just hours after another drone entered Romanian airspace before crashing near the Ukrainian border. Some European officials see these incidents as a way for Moscow to test the Alliance's responsiveness. The Kremlin, for its part, has called accusations attributing unidentified drone flights over Europe to Russia "unfounded."