Finland has identified a Ukrainian drone that crashed into a frozen lake

The Finnish Border Guard has completed the identification of an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on March 31 on the ice of Lake Pyhäjärvi near the border between Parikkala and Kitee. 

According to Yle, official sources have confirmed that the drone flew in from Ukraine and was equipped with a warhead. After the discovery, the crash site was cordoned off, a no-fly zone was established, and experts neutralized the dangerous device through a controlled explosion.

The Finnish Central Criminal Police is investigating the incident and examining the drone’s technical specifications. Despite the drone landing on Finnish territory, Helsinki has expressed support for Kyiv’s defensive actions. Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated that Finland will not demand that Ukraine cease attacks on the Russian oil sector, though she emphasized the priority of Finnish citizens’ safety.

The incident involving the crash of a Ukrainian UAV on NATO territory is viewed as a consequence of intense combat operations against Russia, during which drones may veer off course due to technical malfunctions or the aggressor’s electronic warfare measures. Finnish authorities are urging the public to remain calm and assure that the situation is fully under the control of law enforcement agencies. A detailed examination of the wreckage is currently underway to determine the exact causes of the incident in the border zone.

Two drones, likely belonging to Ukraine, crashed on Finnish territory.

Finnish police reported the crash of another unidentified drone on Sunday, March 29. The incident occurred on sea ice near Mellsteninranta in the city of Espoo, in the Western Uusimaa region.

Ukrainian drones were in no way directed toward Finland, the Foreign Ministry stated. Kyiv has already provided the Finnish side with all necessary information to clarify the circumstances of the UAV crash and apologized for the incident. This was reported by Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.