Finland summons Russian diplomat after suspected airspace violation
HELSINKI: Finland on Wednesday summoned Russia's charge d'affaires for talks, a day after a Russian military aircraft was suspected of violating Finnish airspace, the foreign ministry said.
Finland's defense ministry said on Tuesday that it believed a Russian military aircraft had violated Finnish airspace off the coast of Porvoo, east of the capital Helsinki.
The foreign ministry said it would provide more details after the talks.
The incident came only weeks after a similar incident, which was also followed by a summoning of Russia's diplomatic representative.
Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 after Moscow's fully-fledged invasion of Ukraine a year earlier, shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia.
'An investigation into the alleged violation of airspace was launched immediately,' Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said of Tuesday's incident, adding that the coast guard would head the inquiry.
Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland of possible repercussions over its decision to join NATO, amid heightened tensions.
Hakkanen said in mid-May that Finland was 'closely monitoring and assessing Russia's activities and intentions.'
He was commenting after the New York Times published satellite images appearing to show an expansion of Russian military infrastructure near the border.
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