Ukraine has formally apologised to Finland after two Ukrainian drones crashed in the country’s south over the weekend, saying the aircraft were most likely diverted from their intended course by Russian electronic warfare interference.
The incident comes amid intensifying drone warfare between Kyiv and Moscow, with Russia continuing near-nightly aerial assaults on Ukrainian territory while Ukraine expands retaliatory strikes against Russian military and energy infrastructure.
Speaking on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy stressed that the drones were not aimed at Finnish territory.
“Under no circumstances were any Ukrainian drones directed toward Finland. The most likely cause is interference from Russian electronic warfare systems. We have already apologised to the Finnish side for this incident,” he said.
The apology follows a week in which Ukraine launched strikes on port infrastructure along Russia’s coast in the Gulf of Finland, close to Russia’s border with NATO and EU member Finland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed that he had spoken directly with Finnish President Alexander Stubb about the incident.
“Alex and I discussed the drone incident and see the situation in the same way. We are sharing all necessary information,” Zelensky said.
Finnish authorities responded by scrambling an McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet on Sunday to identify the objects, according to Finland’s defence ministry.
Officials said one drone came down north of Kouvola, while the second landed east of the city in southern Finland.
The incident has drawn attention because of Finland’s proximity to the conflict zone and its increasingly important strategic position since joining NATO, as regional airspace security remains under close watch amid the ongoing war.
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