Finland Detects Strike On Russian Warship In Baltic Sea Amid Ukraine Peace Talks

Finland’s military detected a strike on a Russian Navy vessel in the Gulf of Finland on Wednesday, November 11, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised mediation efforts led by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Ukraine’s Security Service has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle, amid increased drone activity in the Baltic region.

Finland's military said it had monitored the situation but reported no immediate threat to the country. The origin and precise location of the strike remain unclear, as does whether there were any casualties.

A spokesperson for Finland’s military confirmed the incident in an email to Reuters, saying its forces “detected … a strike on a Russian warship in the Gulf of Finland area and has monitored the development of the situation”. The spokesperson added that Finland was not under “any immediate military threat”.

The Finnish military did not disclose how the strike was detected or provide further details about its location and timing. According to Reuters, it was also not immediately clear whether anyone had been injured or what had caused Wednesday’s incident.

Estonia shares a narrow stretch of the Baltic Sea with Finland. Local media reported that the vessel was a small Russian Navy ship that returned to Saint Petersburg following the alleged attack, Reuters reported.

Ukraine’s Security Service has acknowledged carrying out the attack, according to Yle. In recent days, Russia said it had intercepted at least 146 Ukrainian drones in the north-western Leningrad region, near Saint Petersburg.

On Wednesday, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued warnings asking residents to take shelter after drones entered their airspace. NATO warplanes were also scrambled in response.

Kushner, Witkoff Meet Putin And Zelenskyy In Ukraine Peace Push

The reported strike came as Washington stepped up diplomatic engagement with Moscow and Kyiv. On Thursday, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before travelling to Ireland for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The meetings followed trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week. The discussions produced no major breakthrough on the wider conflict, although the sides agreed to exchange a large number of prisoners.

Russia’s state-run news agency TASS reported that the prisoner exchange was expected to take place within two to three weeks. If finalised, it would be the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kyiv.

Kushner also referred to the proposed exchange in a post on X on Thursday, following the meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy.

“We are also working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families,” Kushner said.