Finland closes southern airspace near Russia over drone risk
The military said the precautionary move was lifted hours later and no drones entered Finnish territory, as NATO members weigh stronger air defenses.
- On Tuesday, Finland's military closed a section of airspace and restricted maritime traffic near the Russian border due to risks of stray drones in the area.
- Ukrainian military drones targeting Russia have strayed into the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania this year, raising concerns the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO's northern borders.
- NATO countries and Ukraine blame Russian signal jamming for diverting drones, while Moscow accuses Ukraine of intentionally steering drones across the borders.
- Finland is taking steps "so that we can ensure the authorities are able to operate if drones were to stray into the area, meaning safe countermeasures and the safety of bystanders," a military spokesperson said.
- The Finnish military spokesperson declined to reveal sources for drone intelligence, citing operational sensitivity as the region remains under heightened monitoring.
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Finland Closes Southern Airspace, Waters Over Stray Drone Risk
Finland’s military temporarily closed a section of Finnish airspace and restricted maritime traffic off the country’s southern coast near the Russian border on July 28, due to a possible risk of stray drones in the area. “The Finnish Defence Forces established a temporary restricted airspace area over the eastern Gulf of Finland starting at 8:05 a.m. and a restricted maritime area at 8:15 a.m.,” the Finnish military said in a July 28 post on X. …
The area affected by the restrictions ranges from Loviisa, a city near Helsinki, to the Russian border in St. Petersburg
Defense News
OODA LoopFinland closes airspace, restricts maritime traffic near Russia over drone risk
Finland’s military said it closed a section of Finnish airspace and restricted maritime traffic off the country’s southern coast near the Russian border.
It is the third time in less than a month that the Finnish Armed Forces temporarily shut down air and sea traffic, due to the increased attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian targets.
Because of the danger of stray drones from Ukraine, Finland decides on several measures. Ukraine blames Russian jammers for the deviations.
Access to airspace and the sea near the Finnish cities of Kotka and Hamina was restricted in order to be able to disarm Ukraine ' s accidental drones, if necessary, by the Finnish military.
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