Unexploded drone munition safely disposed of in Finland
The Finnish Armed Forces and the police detonated an unexploded drone component found in a remote area of the municipality of Iitti.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Yle.
It is reported that the warhead had detached from the drone, likely of Ukrainian origin, which was discovered nearby.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on Sunday that authorities had previously been searching for the drone in the Pergeniemi area of the municipality of Iitti in the province of Päijät-Häme, where these devices were found. The nearest settlement is located about a kilometer away.
Police say the drone appears to be “similar” to three others found in southeastern Finland in recent weeks.
According to officials, the explosive device was detonated in a controlled manner after 8:00 p.m. local time on Saturday.
On Sunday afternoon, police announced the conclusion of the investigation in the area and stated that they would reopen the surrounding area and roads in the region, which had been closed since Saturday.
Orpo also stated on Sunday that the Finnish government would consider allocating additional funds to combat drones during budget discussions on April 21–22. At the same time, he said the public should not be concerned about the drones that have crashed in Finland in recent weeks, as the country has significantly strengthened its countermeasures against drones. According to Orpo, communication regarding the drone crash in the municipality of Iitti was handled successfully, particularly the dialogue between the country’s leadership and other authorities, as well as public outreach.
“We are still assessing whether there are any critical shortcomings or needs, and we are trying to find funding for them within the budget,” Orpo said.
In addition, Orpo promised that the government would do everything possible to prevent new drone incidents.
“We have informed Ukraine that it must make every effort during its military operations to ensure that drones do not end up in Finland,” Orpo said.
As reported by Ukrinform, Finland has requested an additional EUR 35 million in funding from the European Commission for drone defense.
Screenshot from a video on iltalehti.fi