Finland detects strike on Russian warship in the Baltic Sea
Finland’s military detected a strike on a Russian navy vessel in the Gulf of Finland, a rare reported attack in the Baltic Sea. Finnish forces monitored the situation but said Finland faced no immediate military threat. The military did not disclose where or when the incident occurred, how it detected the strike, or where it originated. It was also unclear whether anyone was injured or what caused the damage.
Finnish broadcaster Yle reported that Ukraine’s Security Service claimed responsibility. Local media said the vessel was a small Russian navy ship that returned to Saint Petersburg after the alleged attack. The incident followed reports of heightened drone activity: Russia said it had intercepted at least 146 Ukrainian drones in the northwestern Leningrad region, while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania warned residents to take shelter because of drones in their airspace. NATO warplanes were scrambled in response.
The reported strike came as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner pursued diplomatic efforts. They met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ireland. Their discussions followed negotiations in the United Arab Emirates that produced no major breakthrough, although Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large prisoner exchange. Russia’s state-run news agency TASS said it could take place in two to three weeks. Kushner said the exchange could reunite thousands of people with their families.
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