Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in Russia’s chargé d’affaires for questioning following a suspected airspace violation on 10 June, marking the second such incident within a month.

Finnish authorities suspect a Russian military aircraft breached the country’s airspace on 10 June near the coastal city of Porvoo. The Border Guard has launched an investigation into the incident, according to Yle.

The diplomatic meeting is scheduled for 11 June, though ministry officials have not disclosed specific details about the proceedings.

This latest violation follows a similar incident that occurred at the end of May. Following that previous breach, Finland’s foreign ministry summoned Russian Ambassador to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov and formally delivered a diplomatic note addressing the matter.

Russia builds up forces along Finnish border

The airspace incidents come amid broader concerns about Russian military activities along Finland’s border. In May, Major General Sami Nurmi, head of the strategic department of Finland’s Defense Forces, indicated that the country anticipates further Russian military buildup along their shared border after the conclusion of the war in Ukraine.

Earlier, Western media outlets have published satellite imagery showing Russia’s expansion of military installations near the Finnish border. The images revealed new military housing facilities and enlarged storage areas for military equipment.

Finnish intelligence services assessed that Russia could strengthen its military presence along the Finnish border to what they describe as a “threatening level” within the next five years.

NATO intelligence sources also told a Finnish newspaper that Russia is actively maintaining and updating plans for a potential multi-front offensive against NATO’s eastern flank, targeting Finland, Norway, and the Baltic states, with intelligence indicating it could amass up to 600,000 troops along these borders despite its main forces being engaged in Ukraine. 

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has publicly urged European Union countries to halt the issuance of visas to Russian citizens, citing serious security concerns, according to her post on X on 26 May. Braže emphasized that the number of Schengen visas granted to Russian nationals had increased by 25% in 2024 compared to 2023.

Braže wrote:

“Latvia calls on the EU countries to halt visa issuance for Russian citizens, citing security concerns.”

Calling on visa ban for Russian nationals, Braže reiterated the earlier appeal made by Latvia’s Minister of Interior, Rihards Kozlovskis, who also called on EU countries to end the issuance of visas to Russian citizens, warning that such travel poses risks to the bloc’s internal security.

Sharp rise in visas granted to Russian nationals

Braže referred to a March article highlighting the rise in Schengen visa approvals. According to data discussed at the Council of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of the EU in Brussels, 565,069 Schengen tourist visas were granted to Russian nationals in 2024. Notably, 90% of those visas were for tourism purposes.

Statistics from SchengenVisaInfo show that Italy received the most visa applications from Russians in 2023, handling 143,517 requests—28 % of the total. Italy also granted the highest number of Schengen visas to Russian citizens, issuing 134,141 visas, accounting for 30 % of all approved applications.

On 24 May, Finnish defense minister Antti Häkkänen said on YLE’s “Ykkösaamu” program that Russia is now providing military escort to tankers from its shadow fleet in the Gulf of Finland. He described this as a “completely new feature” of Russian activity in the region.

While Russian naval and air presence in the area has always been noticeable, Häkkänen emphasized that armed protection of shadow fleet tankers through the narrow maritime passage is unprecedented. According to Häkkänen, as cited by YLE,

“However, a new feature is that Russia is protecting tankers from its shadow fleet in the narrow passage of the Gulf of Finland. There is military escort and the presence of armed forces. This is a completely new development.”

Airspace breach confirmed near Finland’s Porvoo

The Finnish Defense Ministry reported on 23 May that two Russian military aircraft violated Finland’s airspace near the city of Porvoo. This breach adds to a recent series of aggressive incidents at sea and in the air.

According to YLE, MTV Uutiset also reported a rise in Russian military traffic in the Gulf of Finland, citing naval sources. This comes as further confirmation of escalating regional tensions.

Last week, an incident occurred involving a vessel linked to the Russian shadow fleet that failed to comply with directives from Estonian authorities. At the same time, a Russian fighter jet was observed in the vicinity.

Russia is also significantly increasing its military presence near Finland’s eastern frontier. Recent images aired on Swedish television from Kamyanka, Severomorsk, and Petrozavodsk show what appear to be large-scale deployments. 

Finland says situation remains stable

Despite the growing Russian military activity, Häkkänen stressed there is no immediate threat to Finland.

“I don’t see any direct threat to Finland. But Russia is strengthening its military capabilities and is an aggressive and dangerous neighbor to all of Europe, that’s clear,” he said.