Finland detects strike on Russian warship as Zelenskyy meets US envoys

A spokesperson for Finland's military confirmed in an email to Reuters that its forces detected ... a strike on a Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland area and has monitored the development of the situation. The statement emphasized that Finland is not under "any immediate military threat" but provided no further details on the origin, location, timing, or detection method of the incident.

Reuters reported it was unclear if there were casualties or what caused Wednesday's strike. Local media indicated the vessel was a small Russian navy ship that had returned to Saint Petersburg after the alleged attack. Ukraine's Security Service has claimed responsibility for the operation, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle.

Regional tensions escalate

The strike comes amid heightened tensions in the Baltic region. Russia recently claimed to have intercepted at least 146 Ukrainian drones in the northwestern Leningrad region. On Wednesday, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued warnings to citizens to take shelter due to drones in their airspace, prompting NATO warplanes to be scrambled.

Estonia shares a narrow arm of the Baltic Sea with Finland, making the strategic waterway a focal point for security concerns in the region.

Shuttle diplomacy progress

The incident occurred as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner engaged in shuttle diplomacy, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ireland. This followed trilateral negotiations in the United Arab Emirates that produced an agreement to swap a large number of prisoners.

Russia's state-run news agency TASS reported the prisoner exchange should occur in two to three weeks, potentially becoming the latest in a long series of such exchanges between the warring nations.