Prime Minister Orpo: Finland’s security situation stable despite drone incident

Prime Minister Orpo: Finland's security situation stable despite drone incident

Over the past few weeks, Ukraine has carried out massive drone strikes on Russian oil facilities in the Gulf of Finland. On Sunday 29 March 2026, two drones strayed into the territory of Finland. The Government was briefed on the situation by the authorities on Tuesday 31 March 2026.

"The war is coming closer to us, and its effects have now reached our country's borders. However, we must not forget what this is about: Russia's full-scale war of aggression is now in its fifth year, and Ukraine has the right to defend itself," said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

The goal of Ukraine's strikes is to limit Russia's ability to fund the war using oil revenue. The attacks on Russian oil facilities are likely to continue.

According to the authorities, the drones may have strayed into Finnish territory due to countermeasures by Russia. Ukraine has apologised to Finland for the incident.

"The authorities are working closely together to investigate these incidents. There is no indication that the drones were sent to Finland deliberately. Finland is not currently facing a military threat," said Prime Minister Orpo.

Finland has stepped up its surveillance and anti-drone capabilities

The Defence Forces have invested in anti-drone defence since 2018 and have increased their monitoring and countering capabilities as necessary. Finland has also increased its anti-drone readiness as a result of Russia's war of aggression and is continuously monitoring the development of drone technology. The authorities have the capacity to further increase their preparedness if needed.

Discussions between the Government and the authorities have also highlighted the need for more effective communication with citizens.

"We have agreed that in the future, we will focus especially on communication to citizens. We take the security of Finns very seriously," said Prime Minister Orpo.

Next, the Government will look into whether it is possible and necessary to speed up the implementation of some of the plans already under way to improve and develop drone defence and countering capabilities. The Government will decide on the matter in its session on spending limits in April at the latest.

The investigation of the incident by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Border Guard is ongoing.

Inquiries:

Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to Prime Minister Orpo, tel. +358 295 160 978