Kyiv said on Monday it had apologised to Helsinki after two Ukrainian drones crashed in southern Finland at the weekend, adding that they were likely knocked off course by Russian interference.
"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," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters.
In a post on X on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, and that both sides are "sharing all necessary information."
The apology from Ukraine comes after two drones crashed near the southern Finnish city of Kouvola on Sunday in what the country’s defence ministry said was a "suspected territorial violation."
"Drones have strayed into Finland's territory. We take this very seriously," Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement, adding that security authorities had been sent to the scene to investigate.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, speaking to Finnish state-broadcaster Yle, said it was “likely that these are Ukrainian drones, but this will be investigated and then announced later."
Orpo noted that Ukraine has recently carried out attacks on Russian territories along the 1,340-kilometre border with Finland.
Ukraine struck port facilities on the Russian coast in the Gulf of Finland several times last week.
Hakkanen said the investigation was ongoing "and further details will be provided once the information has been verified."
According to the Finnish defence ministry, "a few low-flying slow objects were observed in Finnish airspace in the sea area and in southeastern Finland on Sunday morning."
The air force sent up an F/A-18 Hornet fighter on an identification mission, it added.
"One drone has fallen to the ground north of Kouvola and another drone east of Kouvola. The police have cordoned off the areas for further investigation," the ministry noted.
