Finland has lifted early restrictions on drone use over the eastern Gulf of Finland.

The Finnish Defense Forces announced flight and shipping bans in the eastern Gulf of Finland during Sunday night via their social media channel X. These restrictions served as a precautionary measure against potential drone threats. The airspace was closed at 02:46 local time, while maritime zones were shut down five minutes earlier at 02:45. The aviation prohibition zone EFR1866 extended from land and water surfaces up to flight level 660. The naval limits covered the Kotka area, with western boundaries ending near Kaunisari island, northern borders reaching Hamina port, and eastern and southern edges aligning with territorial water lines. Ilta-Sanomat reported that officials described these actions as safety measures designed to protect civilians and ensure that government operations remained functional in case drones required interception. Authorities initially planned to maintain the restrictions until 09:00, but lifted them early at 09:43 on Monday morning. Finland has used similar tactics before, including Friday morning aviation curfews in the same gulf region, and Saturday night restrictions affecting both air and sea traffic simultaneously. Defense officials confirmed that no unmanned aircraft entered Finnish airspace, despite heavy drone attacks targeting Saint Petersburg from Ukrainian forces. An Airbus A320 operated by Nesma Airlines, with flight number NMA690, diverted to Helsinki-Vantaa airport instead of reaching Russia after the intense aerial assault. The Egyptian carrier operated this plane with registration SU-NML during that chaotic incident. Earlier reports from the governor of Saint Petersburg indicated damage to residential buildings following the drone strike sequence.