Finland Introduces Restrictions to Air and Sea Traffic near Russia. Here’s What We Know

Finland temporarily restricted air traffic and maritime movement in the eastern Gulf of Finland on the morning of July 4 as Ukraine carried out long-range drone strikes against targets in Russia’s Leningrad region.

According to Finnish public broadcaster Yle, the restrictions were introduced shortly after 5 a.m. local time in the area around the southeastern Finnish city of Kotka, near the Russian border. Authorities first restricted air traffic before extending the measures to maritime traffic in the same area.

According to Yle, Finland’s Defense Forces said the measures were precautionary and linked to the security situation created by Russia’s war against Ukraine and the use of drones in the region. Officials stated that no drones were detected in Finnish airspace during the incident.

Residents in Kotka reported increased activity by Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets throughout the morning. Yle reported that its correspondent observed roughly ten fighter flyovers within about 30 minutes, although the aircraft were not visible due to cloud cover. Finland’s Defense Forces confirmed that air patrols had been intensified over the area.

The temporary restrictions remained in place for several hours before both airspace and maritime traffic were reopened at approximately 9:18 a.m. local time, according to Yle. The broadcaster noted that Finnish authorities had imposed similar airspace restrictions earlier in the week under comparable circumstances.

The measures coincided with a large-scale Ukrainian strike targeting military and energy infrastructure in Russia’s Leningrad region. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 also showed delays at St. Petersburg’s airports during the morning.

Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed that the overnight operation struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal—one of Russia’s largest petroleum export facilities on the Baltic Sea—as well as the Kronstadt naval base, a key support and maintenance hub for Russia’s Baltic Fleet. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the targets were located more than 850 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

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