Finland will receive €32 million in EU funding to purchase anti-drone systems for its eastern border with Russia and the Gulf of Finland, the country’s Ministry of the Interior announced on Thursday, 15 October. The funding, confirmed earlier this month, will strengthen Finland’s ability to detect and monitor drones and help develop the capacity to counter them.
The equipment will be acquired for the Finnish Border Guard (Rajavartiolaitos), with most purchases scheduled for 2027–2029, according to the ministry’s announcement.
The money will come from the EU’s Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) and can be used to purchase equipment, integrate new technologies into existing systems and provide training.
Finland is expanding its anti-drone capabilities
The new funding adds to Finland’s broader efforts to strengthen protection against unmanned aircraft, particularly along its eastern frontier and in the Baltic Sea region.
In April, the Finnish government applied for €35 million in EU funding for the planned systems. The €32 million confirmed in October represents the outcome of that application.
Separately, in June, the government allocated €44 million to the Finnish Border Guard and €6.2 million to the police through its supplementary budget. That investment is intended to improve drone detection, identification and countermeasures.
The need for stronger surveillance has become increasingly apparent. In September, Finnish authorities concluded that four drones which entered Finnish airspace in spring 2026 had originated in Ukraine. Investigators attributed their deviation into Finland to satellite-navigation interference combined with weather conditions.
The EU is strengthening security at its external borders
Finland’s new grant comes amid a wider European effort to improve protection against drones and hybrid threats.
On 13 October, the European Commission announced an additional €130 million for drone surveillance and counter-drone capabilities at the EU’s external borders.
The initiative covers 16 EU member states, including Finland, Sweden’s Baltic neighbours Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Norway, which participates through its association with the Schengen Area.
The funding is intended to help national authorities detect unauthorised drones, improve border surveillance and respond to potential threats affecting land and maritime borders, ports and airports.
According to Finland’s Ministry of the Interior, the EU funding programme specifically targets countries facing increased pressure at their external borders, including hostile activities, the instrumentalisation of migration and other hybrid threats.
For Finland, the new investment will reinforce surveillance along one of the EU’s most strategically important external borders, with the main procurement phase extending through 2029.
