MOSCOW: Russia has deployed airships to monitor its border with Finland, Russian state TV channel Rossiya 1 reported on Sunday.
A video released by the channel showed the airships, which are seen roped to the ground. According to Rossiya 1, the primary objective of these airships is to surveil illegal immigration attempts and other activities along the border with Finland.
Kimmo Gromoff, the Director of the Southeast Finland Border Guard, confirmed that Finnish border guards have not yet detected any surveillance balloons near the eastern border. Furthermore, Russian authorities have not provided Finnish border guards with any information regarding activities near the border.
Gromoff emphasized that Russia is not obligated to inform Finland about events within its own borders, nor is Finland obligated to do the same. Despite the lack of official communication, the Finnish Border Guard remains vigilant, with a large number of staff monitoring the border area.
Gromoff admitted that the Finnish Border Guard cannot determine the purpose behind Russia’s deployment of the airships or what the country may seek to achieve with them.
Reports of the airships have also surfaced in Russian government newspapers and various media outlets. While the Finnish publication Ilta-Sanomat previously covered the matter, questions persist regarding the intentions behind Russia’s deployment of surveillance technology along its border with Finland.
