Newsweek in plain Finnish | Sunday 29.3.2026

Ukrainian drones. Gasoline prices. Päivi Räsänen’s verdict. Kela’s artificial intelligence surveillance.

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Ukrainian drones

A Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet flies against a blue sky, leaving two contrails in its wake.

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Finland has increased air surveillance due to Ukrainian drones. Photo: Jarkko Riikonen / Yle

A new turn occurred in the war in Ukraine this week.

Ukraine is now able to strike deep into Russia with hundreds of drones. Ukraine has struck, for example, the ports of St. Petersburg and Vyborg. Ukraine’s aim is to hinder Russia’s oil transportation and economy.

It is a new situation that Ukrainian drones are now also flying near Finland.

Two drones crashed in Kouvola, southeastern Finland, on Sunday. Authorities said this afternoon that at least one of them was a Ukrainian drone.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says it is a serious matter when Ukrainian drones stray into Finland.

Gasoline price

Sari Multala sitting in a TV studio.

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Yle interviewed Minister of the Environment Sari Multala on Saturday in the Ykkösaamu program. Photo: Tiina Jutila / Yle

Politicians have been discussing the price of fuels, namely gasoline and diesel, this week.

Prices have risen because of the Iran war.

The opposition demands that the government lower fuel prices.

The government reminds that taxes have already been reduced this year, and that the price increase is due to the situation in the Middle East.

Minister of the Environment Sari Multala said on Saturday that the commuting deduction could perhaps be increased in taxation. This would help people who have to drive to work.

Minister Multala also said that the government will not try to change the price of gasoline through regulations.

The government is looking for other ways to help Finns.

Päivi Räsänen’s verdict

Päivi Räsänen’s speech in the plenary session of the Parliament.

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Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen was convicted of inciting against a national group. Photo: Henrietta Hassinen / Yle

The Supreme Court this week handed down a verdict against Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen. The reason for the verdict is an article in which Räsänen criticized homosexual relationships.

The Supreme Court fined Räsänen for incitement against a group of people. The court said that Räsänen’s writing insults homosexuals as a group.

Räsänen is disappointed with the verdict. Räsänen says he defends freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Räsänen’s conviction has also received international attention. For example, the US embassy and the US newspaper Washington Post have defended Räsänen.

Kela’s artificial intelligence monitoring

![Kela logo in the customer shift number device.](https://images.cdn.yle.fi/image/upload/c_crop,h_4644,w_8256,x_0,y_849/ar_1.7777 777777777777,c_fill,g_faces,h_431,w_767/dpr_1.0/q_auto:eco/f_auto/fl_lossy/v1765527597/39-1568467693bc75e6b502)

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Last year, Kela found social security abuses worth around 7 million euros. Photo: Johanna Erjonsalo / Yle

Finally, a word about Kela.

Kela has ended an experiment in which artificial intelligence searched for abuses in social security.

Artificial intelligence reported suspicious cases to Kela employees.

Kela ended the experiment because the laws are unclear.

A similar experiment was also stopped in Sweden because the artificial intelligence targeted people based on unfair criteria, such as gender or ethnic background.

Kela now uses other tools to identify scams.

Last year, Kela identified social security abuses worth approximately 7 million euros.

This was a news week in plain Finnish. See you again, let’s hear from you!