Finland identifies drone found on beach as Russian Geoscan 701

Olha Kovalchuk, Anastasia Prots - 4 September, 10:36

Stock photo: Getty Images

Finland's Border Guard has tentatively identified the drone found on the coast of the Gulf of Finland as a Geoscan 701, manufactured by a Russian company.

Source: European Pravda, citing Finland's Border Guard

Details: Based on an initial external examination, Finland's Border Guard established that it was likely a Geoscan 701 unmanned aerial vehicle. The drone is manufactured by the Russian company Geoscan.

The agency clarified that this model is used by both state and civilian entities and that, at this stage, "it is impossible to establish the purpose of the device, the country or the entity that used it".

The Border Guard is continuing to establish the circumstances under which the drone entered Finnish territory. It is also determining the location and manner in which the drone crossed the state border.

Background:

On 1 September, a drone was found on a beach near Porvoo on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. According to early reports, it was a mapping and surveying drone that posed no danger to bystanders.
On the night of 31 August-1 September, Finland's armed forces announced temporary restrictions on air and maritime traffic over the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland due to a possible drone threat.
In late March and early April, four drones were found in various locations in southeastern Finland, which were identified as Ukrainian devices intended to attack Russian territory.

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