Contents tagged with Finland

  • Finland says it is ready to send peacekeepers to the Donbas

    If an agreement is reached concerning a peacekeeping operation in Ukraine under the aegis of the UN, Finland should take part in it, as stated by the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, at the Munich Security Conference, Yle reports.

    "This is one of the most serious problems in Europe, that is why if there is even a small opportunity to resolve the crisis, Finland should take part in the settlement of this crisis," he stated at a meeting with Finnish journalists in Munich. At the same tine …

  • Foreign Minister of Finland: We want to see a stable Russia, but its future is concerning

    Russia is a next-door neighbor of Finland, and it is a major issue for Helsinki to always support an open dialogue with Moscow, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Timo Soini, wrote in an op-ed to the Dagens Nyheter. In particular, the Minister said a stable Russia was in the interest of Finland, but at the same time there were growing concerns over the domestic situation in the Russian Federation, where the economy heavily depends on natural resources and civic society is discarded as mere …

  • Finnish company refuses to ship generators to Crimea due to sanctions

    The Finnish company Wärtsilä refused to supply generators to the Crimean Zaliv shipbuilding yard in Kerch due to EU sanctions, RBC news agency reported with reference to a source in the Russian Ministry of Transport.

    The factory had to shift the deadlines for the construction of an emergency rescue ship to the value of 2.8 billion rubles. Four such ships have been built in Russia.

    According to the source, the refusal to supply the diesel generators led to an extension of the construction …

  • Finland strengthens its border with Russia

    The Finnish Border Guard is deploying additional personnel to enhance control on the border with Russia, Yle news agency reports.

    The decision was made due to an increase in the number of tourists from Russia as well as the international situation. Perhaps, a more telling reason was the significant reduction in the number of border guards over the past three years.

    "From 2014 to 2017 a massive reduction of border guards has been observed at the Finnish-Russian border. In some regions, their …

  • Finland summons Russian ambassador over violation of country’s airspace by Russian plane

    Russian ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov was summoned to the Finnish Foreign Ministry after the Ministry of Defense of Finland suspected a Russian plane of violating Finnish airspace,as  stated in the message of the Finnish Foreign Ministry on Twitter.

    "The Russian Ambassador was informed about the alleged incident with a request for clarification," the message says.

    According to the Finnish Defense Ministry, the incident refers to a passenger or cargo Tu-154. The Finnish border service launched an …

  • Finland to conduct joint military exercise with the US

    Finland plans to conduct joint military exercises with the US and other allies, as indicated by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Finland, Jussi Niinisto.

    According to him, they plan to attract recruits, reservists, and soldiers to participate in the exercises. Niinisto said that Sweden, the United States, and "other countries" will also take part in the exercises. The Minister specified that the events would be similar to the Aurora 2017 exercises that were held in Sweden and …

  • Finland indicates possibility of joining NATO

    In an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Timo Soini has stated that he does not rule out the possibility that his country will join the North Atlantic Alliance in the future.

    "Neither Finland nor Sweden is yet part of NATO, and as I understand, our countries are not currently discussing accession to NATO. We should not exclude the possibility of joining NATO. Every country should have that opportunity, and that is why open-door politics is …

  • Media: Putin had with him a ‘nuclear suitcase' during his official visit to Finland

    A journalist from the Finnish publication Ilta-Sanomat (IS), who attended a meeting between Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Punkaharju, saw the so-called "nuclear suitcase" in the hands of the Russian President 's aide-de-camp.

    The journalist's estimation is based on the external similarity of the suitcase to the black briefcase that an officer in naval uniform had with him.

    "As a rule, the operator of the 'Cheget' device is an officer with a rank not …

  • The President of Finland spoke with Putin about Ukraine and called for the release of the prisoners

    President of Finland Sauli Niinistö discussed the situation in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, Helsingin Sanomat reported.

    “We also talked about the situation in Ukraine, which is not improving. The ceasefire remains the primary task and the onward progress, at least must be taken in small steps. For example, it is necessary to release the prisoners,” the President Niinistö said.

    President Putin arrived on Thursday, July 27 at the Finnish city of Savonlinna for …

  • Finland bans entry to soldiers in uniforms without insignias

    In Finland new legislation has come into force concerning soldiers in uniform without insignias. According to the amendments, such people are banned from entering and staying in the country, the Yle news website reports.

    According to the law, the group of soldiers without insignias refers to soldiers who act directly in the interests of a foreign state, on its behalf, or with the consent of this state. These soldiers are organized, equipped or armed.

    The law envisages an absolute ban on entry …