Following Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil ports on the Baltic Sea, Finnish fighter jets were also deployed on Sunday over densely populated areas in southern Finland.
The Finnish jets are there in case the Ukrainian drones enter Finnish airspace. "At the same time, we are also monitoring the area to know what is happening," a spokesperson told Finnish media.
Halted
On Wednesday, loading and unloading of oil was halted at the Russian Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, sources told Reuters, after Ukrainian drone attacks caused fires at the ports, with smoke visible from Finland.
Promotion
The Ukrainian military stated their drones flew over 900 kilometers to attack the terminal at Ust-Luga. Primorsk, known in Finnish as Koivisto, was part of Finland from about 1917 to 1944.
Almost half
The attacks on Ust-Luga and Primorsk come amid already unstable global energy markets, fueled by the war with Iran, increasing fears of disruptions to oil supplies. Analysts say the attacks represent the most serious threat to Russian oil exports since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Experts estimate that at least 40 percent of Russian oil export capacity has been halted due to Ukrainian drone attacks, an attack on a key pipeline, and the seizure of tankers. The shutdown is the most severe disruption of oil supplies in Russia's modern history, Russia being the world's second-largest oil exporter.
Pressure on Moscow
Ukrainian President Zelensky told Reuters on Wednesday that Ukraine is carrying out long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure to maintain pressure on Moscow, after US President Trump eased oil sanctions on Moscow this week in an attempt to lower gasoline prices amid the war with Iran.
Ukraine's European allies, seeking to maintain pressure on Russia to end the four-year-long war, have criticized Washington's move.