The heads of state of Finland and Sweden left a ceremony in the Finnish region of Åland, sparking speculation over whether the hasty departure was linked to Russian Navy drills in the region.
Russia's Defense Ministry said 60 ships and 40 aircraft took part in the maneuvers on Thursday which will also take place on land at training grounds in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Also in the region, the Swedish coast guard reported that a massive spill of around 30 square miles of an unknown substance was detected in the Bothnian Sea on Wednesday, although there is no report linking it with the drills.
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