Finland says Helsinki drone threat has ended, reopens airport
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A Finnair plane is seen on the tarmac at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, Vantaa, Finland, February 9, 2024. REUTERS/Tom Little
By Essi Lehto
HELSINKI, May 15 (Reuters) - Finland said on Friday that 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.
The Helsinki City Rescue Department had earlier on Friday warned the 1.8 million inhabitants of the Uusimaa region in southern Finland, which includes the capital, to stay indoors while the situation unfolded.
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.
NO DIRECT MILITARY THREAT, PRESIDENT SAYS
The Finnish defence forces scrambled fighter jets and other emergency services in response to the situation.
"Our authorities demonstrated their readiness and capacity to react. There is no direct military threat against Finland," President Alexander Stubb wrote on social media X.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said it was safe for people to go to work and school.
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 Christian Schmollinger, Jamie Freed and Toby Chopra)
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