Image: Ilmavoimat

A Russian Border Guard airplane ventured into Finnish territory near Porvoo on Thursday. This time around, the suspected offender was a Russian An-72 transport aircraft was suspected of crossing into Finnish airspace over the Gulf of Finland around mid-day.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Max Arhippainen said that the incursion lasted just a few minutes -- between 12.08 and 12.12 -- and did not penetrate deep into Finnish territory.

The precise direction of the aircraft will emerge once the Border Guards complete a report on the matter.

Yle sources indicate that Finnish Foreign Ministry officials have discussed the first incident with the Russian Embassy in Helsinki.

This would be the third such incursion within a week, and at least the fifth incident in recent months.

Last Monday a Russian state-owned plane crossed into Finnish airspace near Hanko, followed by another incident on Saturday near Porvoo. Both towns are on the south coast.

Defence Minister taking cases "very seriously"

Finnish Defence Minister Carl Haglund said he is taking the third suspected airspace violation very seriously. He said that the case was regrettable, precisely because it was the third such report within one week.

“Because of this we will have to increase surveillance activities and monitor the situation. And of course it would be hoped that the Russians would significantly improve their operations as well, because this can’t continue,” Haglund said.

The minister said that the Air Force scrambled a Hornet jet to the scene of the suspected violation. He added that it now seems that the repeated airspace violations are deliberate.

“It’s very difficult to see how this could be a question of coincidence,” he concluded.