An anonymous representative of the Russian Ministry of Defence admitted on Monday to the news agency Interfax that a TU-134 transport plane belonging to the Russian Navy had violated Finnish airspace on Friday last week.
Russia launched an investigation into the incident as soon as Finland reported it. On Monday, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said that Finland had asked for a clarification of the incident.
The flight crew of the plane in question have reportedly been temporarily grounded.
The office of the President expressed the hope on Monday that this most recent violation of Finnish airspace could be cleared from the table before Presidents Tarja Halonen and Vladimir Putin meet in St. Petersburg in late September.
Halonen will be in St. Petersburg to help inaugurate a massive sewage treatment plant. Finland has provided EUR 10 million for the construction of the facility.
The Finnish Coast Guard is currently working on a report on the airspace violation. The report will later be submitted to the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
