Finland to boost counter-drone abilities after Ukrainian drones enter airspace

Finland is moving to speed up plans to strengthen its counter-drone capabilities after two drones entered Finnish airspace and crashed near the southeastern town of Kouvola over the weekend, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

Speaking at a press conference in Helsinki, Orpo said decisions will be taken no later than the cabinet's financial seminar in late April.

"In the coming years, we will spend significant sums on countering the drone threat. If there is an urgent need now, more funding will be made available quickly," he said.

Meanwhile, Orpo reassured that there is no indication that the drones were sent to Finland deliberately. "There is no military threat to Finland," he said.

Two drones crashed in Kouvola in southeastern Finland after entering into Finnish airspace in the morning on March 29.

The drones believed to be Ukrainian, entered Finnish airspace and crashed in separate locations near Kouvola, with no injuries reported.

Ukraine has apologized to Finland over the incident.

A representative of Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Monday that the drones were not been targeting Finland under any circumstances and that their entry into Finnish territory was likely caused by Russian electronic interference.

Earlier, the Finnish Defence Forces intensified surveillance measures to ensure territorial integrity when Ukraine carried out attacks against Russian targets in the eastern Gulf of Finland.