HELSINKI — On Tuesday, Finland’s defense forces announced the closure of a segment of the nation’s airspace and imposed limitations on sea traffic along the southern coastline adjacent to the Russian frontier, citing potential hazards from wandering drones.

Throughout this year, unmanned drones deployed by Ukraine in its conflict against Russia have inadvertently entered the airspace of Finland, as well as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. This has sparked concerns about the conflict extending to the northern borders of NATO member states.

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The Finnish military is implementing these measures “to ensure that the authorities are equipped to respond effectively should drones inadvertently enter this zone, thus enabling appropriate defensive actions and safeguarding the public,” said a military spokesperson.

The spokesperson declined to disclose the source of the intelligence regarding potential drone activities, stating that “it pertains to operational details.”

Ukraine has intensified its drone assaults on Russian positions, employing long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. Both Ukraine and NATO allies attribute the misdirection of some of these drones into NATO territories to Russian electronic warfare tactics. Conversely, Russia charges Ukraine with deliberately directing these drones over the border.