Finnish Police Investigate Fake Drone Attack Safety Instructions Following Border Incidents

Finnish authorities have launched an investigation into the distribution of fraudulent safety instructions regarding drone attacks, which began circulating after three unidentified unmanned aerial vehicles violated Finnish airspace and crashed within the country’s borders in late March.

The counterfeit materials, designed to mimic official guidance, used the Finnish Rescue Service’s official name and logo to create an appearance of legitimacy, according to a report by Finnish broadcaster Yle on April 14. The fake manuals purported to provide instructions on seeking protection both indoors and outdoors during drone attacks, as well as recommended post-attack procedures.

While social media reports suggested these fabricated documents were being physically distributed in mailboxes throughout southeastern Finland, investigators have not yet confirmed these claims with physical evidence. Finnish police are actively working to identify the source of the disinformation campaign but have not named specific suspects at this stage of the investigation.

An investigation conducted by Yle traced the initial spread of these fraudulent safety instructions to the Russian social media platform VKontakte. The materials reportedly appeared on Finnish-language pages on other social networks only after they had been widely circulated in Russian channels. Posts on these Russian platforms promoted a narrative claiming that “Ukrainian drones threaten Finland,” connecting the disinformation to geopolitical tensions in the region.

Jukka Savolainen, a director at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, stated that the instructions likely originated in Russia, noting that the incident follows patterns consistent with previous Russian disinformation operations. Such campaigns typically exploit recent events to maximize their psychological impact.

The timing of the fake safety instructions is particularly notable, as they emerged shortly after an incident on March 29 when three unidentified drones violated Finnish airspace before crashing on Finnish territory. Two of these drones landed near the town of Kouvola, approximately 50 kilometers from the Russian border. The proximity to Russia and the subsequent disinformation campaign suggests a possible connection between the incidents.

This case appears to be part of a broader trend of increased disinformation operations. According to a March 20 report from the Center for Countering Disinformation, Russia has significantly scaled up its disinformation activities using artificial intelligence. Citing the European External Action Service’s threat assessment, the report documented 540 cases of foreign information manipulation in 2025, involving approximately 10,500 social media channels and websites.

Ukraine remains the primary target of these campaigns, which are designed to weaken international support for the country. The report also highlighted a significant technological advancement in these operations, with 27% of the analyzed incidents utilizing AI-generated content, including synthetic text, audio, or manipulated video, allowing for more rapid production of misleading materials.

This incident in Finland illustrates how disinformation campaigns can exploit regional security concerns to create public uncertainty. The fake drone attack instructions represent a sophisticated attempt to leverage actual security incidents—the drone crashes—to amplify fear and potentially undermine public trust in official communications.

As Finland continues its investigation into the source of these fraudulent materials, the case underscores the growing challenge of identifying and countering disinformation in an increasingly complex information environment. The incident also highlights the importance of public awareness regarding official information channels, especially during potential security incidents.