KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine said Monday it had apologised to Helsinki after two Ukrainian drones crashed in southern Finland over the weekend, adding that they were likely knocked off course by Russian interference.

 

Moscow fires hundreds of drones at Ukraine in nightly barrages, with Kyiv increasingly retaliating with its own strikes targeting energy and military sites.

 

"Under no circumstances were any Ukrainian drones directed toward Finland. The most likely cause is interference from Russian electronic warfare systems. We have already apologised to the Finnish side for this incident," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy told reporters.

 

Ukraine struck port facilities on the Russian coast in the Gulf of Finland, close to Russia's border with the NATO and EU member, several times last week.

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said later he had "discussed the drone incident" with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, a staunch backer of Kyiv.

 

"Alex and I see the situation in the same way. We are sharing all necessary information," Zelensky said.

 

Finland sent up an F/A-18 Hornet fighter on an identification mission on Sunday, the Finnish defence ministry said.

 

One drone fell to the ground north of Kouvola, a city in southern Finland, while another drone fell east of Kouvola, the ministry added.