Drones fly during the “Zapad-2025” (West-2025) joint Russian-Belarusian military drills at a training ground near the town of Borisov, east of the capital Minsk, on September 15, 2025. Photo: Olesya Kurpyayeva / AFP / Lehtikuva
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Jyri Kosola, former head of research at the Finnish Defence Forces, has warned that Finland is falling behind as Russia expands its drone capabilities. Speaking on Yle’s A-studio programme, Kosola said Finland must act fast or risk being left behind in a key area of modern warfare.
“Time is short,” Kosola said. “Russia’s advancement in the field is quick. If Finland remains a mere spectator, we’ll be left behind.”
His comments follow a string of recent incidents involving Russian drones.
Earlier this month, Polish and Dutch fighter jets shot down several drones after they violated Polish airspace. The incident marked the first time NATO forces have opened fire on unmanned aircraft over Poland.
In Ukraine, drones now play a central role on the battlefield. Compared with earlier phases of the war, the number of drones in use has increased sharply. Ukraine’s military has also suffered major losses due to drone attacks, according to Kosola.
“It’s a profound shift,” he said. “Russia is not only developing its own systems, but also learning from how Western-supplied drones are used in Ukraine.”
Kosola served on the team that drafted Finland’s national drone strategy, released in January. He described it as a starting point for national debate, but questioned why Finland had not joined a broader European initiative.
Last year, 18 Western countries formed a drone coalition aimed at sharing intelligence and boosting defence capabilities. Finland is not a member.
“By staying outside, Finland misses the intelligence that coalition members share with each other,” Kosola said.
He added that future drones will become increasingly autonomous. Some of the latest prototypes imitate bird flight patterns, making them harder to detect. Others are designed for underwater use and are modelled on fish.
“These are not far-off ideas. Underwater drones shaped like fish are already in operation,” Kosola said.
After the drone incident in Poland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested a ‘drone wall’ to defend Europe’s eastern borders. NATO countries neighbouring Russia have since begun early planning on such a system.
Kosola said the word ‘wall’ was misleading and gave a false impression of a total barrier. He called the idea more of a ‘shield’ than a wall, and warned that the cost of protecting large borders using traditional fighter jets is unsustainable.
Last week, the Finnish Defence Forces told Yle they would respond to drone threats in a similar manner to Poland, by intercepting them with fighter aircraft. Kosola said such an approach is financially unrealistic over the long term.
“Shooting down a drone with a fighter jet costs millions,” he said. “That’s not a sustainable defence method.”
Kosola said Finland must take part in international defence efforts and increase investment in domestic drone systems. He stressed that a passive approach carries risks.
Yle News first reported Kosola’s comments on 17 September during its A-studio programme.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
