Finland Investigates Russian Airspace Violation

The Finnish Border Guard is investigating a suspected violation of the country’s airspace by a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft on Thursday. The incident reportedly occurred over the western Gulf of Finland and lasted approximately three minutes.

At its deepest point, the aircraft reportedly flew about 4.7 nautical miles, or 8.7 km, inside Finnish airspace.

The Border Guard announced on Friday that it had opened a preliminary investigation into the incident. Authorities have not yet determined why the Russian aircraft may have entered Finnish airspace or established its exact flight path.

Further details are expected as the investigation continues.

(Reuters, mja)