Finland Says Russian Reconnaissance Aircraft Violated Airspace by About 9 Kilometers

A Russian military reconnaissance aircraft violated Finnish airspace by approximately 9 kilometers, Finnish authorities announced on the 21st local time.

The Finnish Border Guard claimed that the previous day, a Russian Ilyushin (IL)-20 reconnaissance aircraft crossed into the airspace over the Gulf of Finland for about three minutes, penetrating up to a maximum of 4.7 nautical miles (8.7 kilometers).

Finland previously summoned the Russian ambassador to the country to lodge a protest, stating that Russian military aircraft violated its airspace twice in May and June, flying as far as the waters off Porvoo near the capital, Helsinki.

Offensive drones launched by Ukraine toward Russian oil facilities at the eastern end of the Gulf of Finland have also frequently violated Finnish airspace.

Sharing a 1,340-kilometer land border with Russia, Finland abandoned its military non-alignment policy and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

(Photo: Getty Images)
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