HELSINKI, May 15 (Reuters) – Finland said on Friday suspected drone activity in the skies above the country’s capital region no longer posed a threat and that the situation was returning to normal as Helsinki’s airport reopened.
Finland and the nearby Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have seen a string of recent incidents where Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia have strayed into their airspace, but it was not immediately known if Friday’s incident was similar.
The Finnish defence forces earlier scrambled fighter jets and other emergency services in response to the situation, but said in a statement that Finland was not facing a direct military threat.
“The danger is over. People can go to work and school safely,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said in a post on social media website X.
Traffic at Helsinki’s airport also resumed after a three-hour suspension, according to a statement on its website.
“Authorities are taking action. The Defence Forces have enhanced their own surveillance and response capabilities. I urge everyone to follow the authorities’ bulletins,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in a statement on X.
LATVIA’S GOVERNMENT COLLAPSED OVER DRONES
Recent airspace violations by Ukrainian drones come as Kyiv has intensified attacks on Russia’s oil export infrastructure, including massive strikes on the Primorsk and Ust-Luga ports on the Baltic Sea.
Latvia’s government coalition on Thursday collapsed amid internal divisions over the handling of a recent drone incident, following Prime Minister Evika Silina’s decision last weekend to fire Defence Minister Andris Spruds.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Ukraine would send experts to Latvia to help protect the country’s skies.
(Reporting by Essi Lehto in Helsinki; Writing by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Christian Schmollinger and Jamie Freed)
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