Russian Vessel Violates Finnish Territorial Waters

The Finnish Border Guard is investigating an unauthorized entry of a Russian vessel into Finnish territorial waters in the afternoon of 26 July 2024. The incident occurred in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland.

According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence, the vessel in question is a seabed exploration ship operating under the Russian Baltic Fleet. The Border Guard reported that the vessel was in Finnish waters for approximately seven minutes before being escorted out of the area.

“The Border Guard is investigating this incident and will provide further information as the investigation progresses,” a representative from the Finnish Ministry of Defence stated.

This incident follows a previous breach on June 10, 2024, when four Russian military aircraft violated Finnish airspace. That investigation was concluded two weeks later due to a lack of criminal intent.

Relations between Finland and Russia have deteriorated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led Finland to join NATO and close all border crossings with Russia.