Russian propaganda has not been successful in Finland, the Speaker of Finland’s Parliament Jussi Halla-aho told Kyiv Post in an exclusive interview in Helsinki. According to him, while some Russian-speaking residents of Finland still support the Kremlin, the majority are well-integrated into Finnish society.
“This situation is also causing divisions between the Russian speakers and the rest of the society. And those people inside or within that minority that do follow Russian channels on social media will perhaps tend to believe Moscow’s propaganda,” he said.
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Halla-aho considers that Russian propaganda does not pose a significant threat to Finland. The general mistrust of Russia and the difficult history between the two countries prevents its propaganda from resonating with the majority of the population. The issue is not as concerning for Finland as it is in other Western European countries, such as Germany or France.
He confirmed that all border crossing points between Finland and Russia were closed in 2023 and will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Since Finland does not issue visas to Russians, and the borders are closed, there are no longer Russian tourists in the country. Additionally, Finland has joined the decision to ban vehicles registered in Russia from entering the country.
Regarding the future, the speaker pointed out that after the war in Ukraine ends and peace is achieved, it is unlikely that the borders will reopen quickly, as current relations with Russia have significantly deteriorated.
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“What is happening today has ruined our relations with Russia and its people. So, there won’t be a quick return to business as usual, and things will not be what they used to be before the war.”
Finland was also not very dependent on Russian energy resources even before the war, unlike many other European countries.
“We imported very little fossil fuels from Russia. So, we don’t have a temptation to restart such trade with them. But there are some sectors where Russia used to be an important trade partner, especially forestry.”
Halla-aho said that Finnish industries have suffered significant losses due to the cessation of wood imports from Russia. As a result, there is interest in certain business sectors to reopen the borders and resume trade with Russia.
He was unable to predict when this might happen, as it depends on numerous factors, many beyond Finland’s control. He said, “Relations between Russia and Finland or Russia and Europe will not be normalized for a very long time.”
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