Finland temporarily closed its airspace and territorial waters due to the threat posed by drones
On the morning of July 10, the Finnish Armed Forces temporarily restricted access to the airspace and territorial waters near the city of Kotka, located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The restrictions were imposed following reports of a possible incursion by drones into the country’s airspace.
According to the Finnish military, the restrictions took effect around 4:00 a.m. and were lifted at approximately 5:25 a.m.
The Armed Forces explained that these measures were precautionary and aimed at ensuring the safety of the civilian population, as well as providing appropriate conditions for the relevant authorities to operate in the event of a potential threat from unmanned aerial vehicles.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Finnish Armed Forces reported that no drones were detected in the country’s airspace during the inspection.
Thus, the temporary restrictions were a preventive measure, and after the inspections were completed, air and maritime traffic in the Kotka area returned to normal operations.
The Finnish Armed Forces reported this on X.
Finland confirmed that the temporary restrictions on air and maritime traffic over the Gulf of Finland were imposed due to a Ukrainian attack on targets in the St. Petersburg area. According to the Finnish side, the measures were preventive in nature and were related to the security situation.
Finland temporarily closed part of the Gulf of Finland due to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
As a reminder, Finland will allocate an additional 40 million euros to support Ukraine as part of the international PURL initiative. According to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, these funds will be directed primarily toward strengthening air defense and protecting Ukrainians from Russian missile attacks.
Finland, in cooperation with NATO, is actively building up its own defense capabilities in response to Russia’s expansion of military bases and infrastructure in neighboring regions. This was stated by Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hykkänen.
