Unknown drone spotted over presidential palace in Helsinki

A witness saw the drone over the presidential palace and nearby buildings and reported it to emergency services. The witness also said he saw two men launching drones nearby, but they claimed to be tourists from Hong Kong.

Helsinki police confirmed they were aware of the incident but decided to close the case because it has been confirmed that the drone is no longer in the restricted area.

Inspector Markus Koskinen from the police department noted that authorities receive weekly reports of drone flights, usually launched by tourists.

Finland has several restricted airspace zones, including administrative districts in central Helsinki and official residences of the President and Prime Minister.

Recently, reports of unknown drones have been increasing across various European countries.

Drones in EU countries

Northern NATO countries have recently seen a rise in flights of unidentified drones over military and strategic sites. On September 27, drones were spotted near the Ørland Air Base in Norway, home to F-35 fighter jets and a recent NATO drill.

The next day, September 28, a passenger plane scheduled to fly from Oslo to Bardufoss had to return due to a drone in the airspace.

Similar incidents occurred on September 22, when unknown drones were observed over Norway and Denmark, temporarily halting airport operations in Copenhagen and Oslo.

Last week, 15 drones were recorded over the Belgian military base in Elsenborn near the German border. The Belgian army is now investigating this case.

Additionally, Munich International Airport had to suspend operations for the second consecutive night due to drones near the runways, causing massive flight delays and diversions.