A Russian military aircraft was suspected of violating Finnish airspace over the Gulf of Finland near Porkkala on Wednesday afternoon, prompting an operational response from the Finnish Air Force and an official border guard investigation.
The Finnish Defence Ministry said the aircraft altered its route to avoid thunderstorms before the suspected incursion. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said the investigation was launched immediately. The aircraft type has not been disclosed.
The incident took place off Porkkala, on Finland’s southern coast near Kirkkonummi, in an area where Finnish forces maintain close surveillance of airspace activity. No official information has been released on the duration of the suspected violation, the depth of penetration, altitude, or any radio contact with the aircraft.
The case comes amid heightened regional military activity in the Baltic area and follows other recent Finnish reports of suspected Russian airspace violations. Finland, now a NATO member, has kept rapid-response air policing and border surveillance at a high level since joining the alliance.