A Russian military helicopter penetrated Finnish airspace on Wednesday morning. The plane flew four to five kilometers across the border, according to the Finnish Ministry of Defense. The ministry launched an investigation.
This is the second time in a month that a Russian plane has entered Finnish airspace. On April 8, a Russian army transport plane flew over Finland for a short time. Russian military aircraft also violated Swedish airspace in March and April.
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NATO membership
Experts view these incidents as Russian provocations as Finland and Sweden consider joining NATO. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden feel less safe in Russia’s periphery. Currently, both countries work closely with the military alliance.
Membership will provide better protection. Russia strongly opposes this and has previously said that there are “consequences” if these countries actually join NATO.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will reveal his personal stance on the NATO candidacy on May 12. According to Finnish media, a decision could be made sometime in the coming days.
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