The war in Ukraine and Finland’s geographical proximity to Russia affect the country’s appeal as a travel destination, with some tourists already cancelling trips. Finland’s position as the neighbour of Russia affects how attractive the Nordic nation is viewed from abroad as a travel destination. As the crisis in UkraineContinue Reading
European Union sanctions against Russia could affect one in four companies in Finland doing business in Russia, according to Finnish Customs. Some 2,000 companies in Finland do business across the eastern border. A quarter of these operate in sectors targeted by sanctions, Customs said. The EU’s sanctions package targets theContinue Reading
Finland’s president Sauli Niinistö said on Tuesday that the Minsk process, which aimed to provide autonomy for some regions of Ukraine while stopping short of granting them independence, is now dead. Niinistö said that it was difficult to predict what might happen next. “The crisis is no longer a EuropeanContinue Reading
Venäjä käynnisti viikonloppuna suuren strategisten ydinaseiden harjoituksen Barentsinmerellä. Harjoituksen ajankohta on poikkeuksellinen, sillä yleensä se on järjestetty syksyisin. Norjassa arvioidaan, että Venäjä lähettää harjoituksella viestin Natolle ja länteen. TUKHOLMA Samaan aikaan, kun maailman huomio on Venäjän ja Ukrainan rajalla, on Venäjä aloittanut (siirryt toiseen palveluun)strategisten ydinaseiden suuren harjoituksen Barentsinmerellä. HarjoitusContinue Reading
Finnish foreign policy specialists are critical of a possible summit between the presidents of Russia and the United States, as they note the dangers of European issues being discussed only between the two former Cold War adversaries. The BBC is among many media outlets reporting on Monday morning that RussianContinue Reading
Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko has announced a series of temporary measures aimed at easing the impact of higher energy costs. The Finnish government has outlined a series of temporary measures in response to rising energy prices. Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko (Cen) told a press conference that the mostContinue Reading
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto (Green) has said that recent meetings between German and Russian leaders indicate that ongoing tensions in Ukraine could still be resolved through diplomatic means. The security situation in the region remains strained, with western countries expressing concern about an impending attack on Ukraine as RussiaContinue Reading
Asked in an interview on Yle TV1 on Wednesday morning why the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) raised their level of internal security on Tuesday, Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) said that, “Times are such that the Defence Forces are taking their own measures,” but denied that Finland is facingContinue Reading
Helsinki courts are set to be congested with cases against around 850 activists detained on demonstrations urging action on climate change, rising petrol prices and Covid restrictions. The majority of the activists were detained during protests by Elokapina, the Finnish branch of the climate group Extinction Rebellion, and are chargedContinue Reading
Two German minehunter vessels are patrolling the Gulf of Finland, between Helsinki and Tallinn, on behalf of NATO. The two ships are both Frankenthal-class minehunters commissioned in the 1990s, and are at sea off the Finnish coast close to the Porkkalanniemi headland, Iltalehti reports (link in Finnish). Mine-clearing would beContinue Reading