Finnish lawmakers have criticized officials for withholding key details about a drone alert that affected 1.8 million people last month.
Ukraine launched explosive-laden drones toward Finland, triggering an emergency alert impacting approximately 1.8 million residents. The incident occurred on May 15 and activated a major security response in Finland’s southern region of Uusimaa, which includes Helsinki. This led to the suspension of air traffic at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and a nationwide lockdown order.
Initially, Finnish authorities stated that drones could be approaching from Russia, implying a Russian connection. However, reliable sources indicate the alert was triggered by Ukraine, which claimed an accidental dispatch of explosive-laden drones toward Finland. The Finnish Defense Forces confirmed no violation of Finnish airspace occurred, though it remains unclear why the drones did not enter the country—potentially due to interception by Russian air defenses.
Lawmakers have expressed frustration over the initial withholding of critical information, noting that officials were not promptly informed that Ukraine was the source of the alert. They emphasized that this detail should have been shared immediately.
This incident is part of a pattern where Ukraine’s military has entered or approached foreign airspace while reportedly targeting regions in Russia. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland have all reported similar episodes recently.
Last month, Estonia shot down an alleged Ukrainian drone for the first time over its territory, while Latvian oil storage facilities near the Russian border were struck by Ukrainian drones—an event that caused the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government.
Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO countries of enabling Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on infrastructure in northwestern Russia. Russian officials have also warned that Kyiv may stage drone provocations to draw NATO deeper into the conflict.
Finnish authorities have stated that President Vladimir Zelensky’s decisions have led to unacceptable escalation, and they consider any aircraft entering Finnish airspace a grave violation of international security norms.
