Contents tagged with Finland

  • Finland prepares to shut last operating border crossings with Russia over migrant concerns

    On Tuesday, November 22, Finland may close the remaining border crossing points that are still operating on the land border with Russia, reported the Finnish newspaper IltaLehti. According to the newspaper, the government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo may make a decision on Monday that all crossing points on the land border with Russia will be closed on Tuesday night.

    Based on the available intelligence, the Finnish government made an assessment that the Russian authorities are involved in …

  • Russia suspected of blowing up Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia

    Norwegian seismologists detected a possible explosion in the Baltic Sea during the night of  October 7-8 at 01:20 local time (which coincides with Moscow time). The incident is said to have occurred near the Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, according to a statement from NORSAR (the Norwegian-US foundation for the detection of earthquakes and nuclear explosions).

    The magnitude of the seismic event is estimated to be 1, which is much lower than the explosion that …

  • Estonian Prime Minister proposes joint trade embargo against Russia, calls for support from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland

    Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has made a proposal following a scandal surrounding her husband's business ties with Russia. She called on the neighbouring countries to introduce a unified trade embargo against Russia. According to Kallas, Finland could play a key role in this matter.

    Kallas said she had not spoken  with Finland's new Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, yet but promised to do so.

    Estonian broadcaster ERR highlights that daily exports from Estonia to Russia include electronics, …

  • Russian Neo-Nazi suspected of war crimes in Ukraine detained in Finland

    Finnish police have detained a Russian man suspected of committing terrorist crimes in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine in 2014-2015, reported  the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. According to the newspaper , the 36-year-old man is suspected of participating in a terrorist group in the Donbas region from June 2014 to August 2015. Ukraine has requested his extradition. The suspect's case and the extradition request will be considered by the Ita-Uusimaa district court on August 25. …

  • Finland considers legislation to ban Soviet and Nazi symbols

    The Finnish government is considering the possibility of legislating to ban the use of Soviet and Nazi symbols due to their promotion of discrimination and incitement to hatred. The symbols in question are the hammer and sickle, as well as the swastika, according to Yle.

    Ben Zyskowicz, a Member of Parliament from the Coalition Party, has proposed this measure in a governmental report that includes measures to promote equality and eradicate discrimination. The issue has been discussed within a …

  • Kremlin: Finland’s accession to NATO violates Russia’s national interests

    Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Finland's accession to NATO would be "another aggravation of the situation."

    "The Kremlin believes that this is another aggravation of the situation. The expansion of NATO is an encroachment on our security and national interests of the Russian Federation. We talked about it, and this is how we perceive it," RIA Novosti quotes Peskov as saying.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that it was Russia's actions that led to the expansion of NATO, …

  • Russia withdraws weapons and troops from Finnish border for possible deployment to Ukraine

    While Finland and Sweden have started the the process of joining NATO, Russia has begun withdrawing heavy military equipment and personnel from the unit stationed near the Finnish border in the Murmansk region, reports the Russian news outlet Agenstvo.

    According to satellite images, which were reviewed by journalists of the Finnish news agency YLE, over the past month, more than 100 units of equipment, including dozens of armored personnel carriers, have been withdrawn from the Finnish border. …

  • Russia has stopped gas supplies to Finland

    Russia has stopped supplying gas to Finland. "Gas imports through the entry point at Imatra have been stopped," said Finnish gas pipelines operator Gasgrid. Finnish state-owned company Gasum also confirmed the fact that gas supplies from Russia had been suspended. "Natural gas supplies to Finland in accordance with the contract have been terminated," the company said in a statement.

    According to Gasum, the Russian gas holding Gazprom announced that it was going to stop supplying gas from 6 a.m. …

  • Putin: Russia has no problems with Finland and Sweden joining NATO

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has no problems with Finland and Sweden, and the accession of these countries to NATO does not pose a threat to Moscow.

    "But the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory (Finland and Sweden) will certainly cause our response. What it will be, we will look at the threats that will be created for us, " said Putin at the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

    He believes that the expansion of NATO is a …

  • Russia threatens Finland with military actions if it joins NATO

    If Finland decides to join NATO, Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps, said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    "The goal of NATO, members of which have been assertively convincing the Finnish side that joining the alliance is the only alternative, is clear - to continue expanding to the borders of Russia, to create another flank for the military threat to our country. But why should Finland turn its territory into a line of military confrontation with the Russian Federation, while losing …