Unknown drones crashed in Finland: one of them identified as Ukrainian An-196 “Feb.
Фото: Генштаб
On March 29, several drones violated Finnish airspace, at least two of which fell on the country’s territory. One of the drones was identified as a Ukrainian An-196 “Lyuty”, and the incident is being investigated by law enforcement agencies.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Finland.
On the morning of March 29, the military detected several small objects moving at low altitude and low speed over the Baltic Sea and in the southeast of the country. To clarify the circumstances, an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was raised into the air and carried out a reconnaissance flight.
It later became known that at least 2 drones had crashed in Finland. One of them was recorded north of Kouvola, the other east of the city, approximately 50 kilometers from the border with Russia. The crash sites were immediately taken under control by law enforcement officers, and the area was cordoned off for investigation.
“We are taking this matter very seriously. The security forces responded immediately. The investigation into the events is ongoing, and additional details will be provided after verification of the information,” said Defense Minister Antti Häkkinen.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that the drones that fell in the country were likely Ukrainian, but final conclusions will be made after the investigation is complete. He also stressed that the drones were not shot down, they fell on their own.
“This violation of territory is a very serious matter. These are probably Ukrainian drones, but this matter is being investigated and will be reported later… We will draw conclusions from this when the full picture of the situation becomes clear. This is an undesirable situation,” he said.
Separately, the Finnish Air Force said one of the objects was identified as a Ukrainian An-196 “Lyuty” drone that crashed south of the city of Kouvola. The crash site was surrounded by police, and some of the other objects seen were identified as flocks of birds.
The department added that, in cooperation with other structures, they continue to monitor the situation and maintain readiness to respond.
The day before, on March 23, a drone flew into the territory of Lithuania , which, according to Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginen, turned out to be Ukrainian.
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