Finnish authorities are investigating a crashed unmanned aircraft spotted on a frozen lake near Russia, the Border Guard told AFP on Tuesday, two days after stray drones crashed in southern Finland.
An “unmanned fixed-wing aircraft” was detected on the ice of Lake Pyhajarvi in Parikkala in eastern Finland, near the border with Russia, during a morning patrol, Major Misa Hattunen from the North Karelia Border Guard District told AFP.
Hattunen said the aircraft was larger than the “typically small quadcopters” used by civilians.
“The wingspan could be around two meters (6.5 feet). We haven’t been able to get close enough to measure exactly how long it is,” he said.
A border guard official told the Finnish Yle broadcaster that the “drone” was “a foreign device.”
Authorities have cordoned off the area and people living in residential buildings have been instructed to leave as police conduct an investigation.
According to the police now in charge of the investigation, the aircraft had not caused any injuries or property damage.
“We can’t say where it came from or whether it’s related to the events of the past few days,” Hattunen said.
Police said they could not confirm at this stage when the aircraft had crashed.
On Sunday, Finland reported that two stray drones had crashed in the southeastern part of the country, of which one has been confirmed as Ukrainian.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo underlined on Tuesday that there was no direct military threat against Finland, and that the Nordic country has been in contact with Ukraine.
Ukraine apologized to Finland on Monday, explaining that the drones were likely knocked off course by Russian interference.
Kyiv struck port facilities on the Russian coast in the Gulf of Finland, close to Russia’s border with the NATO and EU member, several times last week.
