Former Finnish MP claims he is ready to shoot at his compatriots 0 17

Pro-Russian former legislator Ano Turtiainen claims that he is "ready to go to the front against Finns" if necessary, reports the Finnish portal Yle.

The former far-right Finnish MP Ano Turtiainen stated that he has been granted political asylum in Russia. He made this statement in a YouTube video posted on Monday evening.

Turtiainen, who announced his move to Russia last month, described the decision as "historic." According to him, local media were present at the event.

The ex-MP stated that he was surprised that the invitation to meet with the migration service in Moscow came "so early." The citizenship and foreign registration service is part of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The 58-year-old Turtiainen caused bewilderment earlier this month when he stated in a video that he is ready to fight in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces even against Finns.

The former legislator and ex-powerlifter claims that Finland is building a border fence to prevent its citizens from "rushing to Russia in search of prosperity."

– If I were younger, I would even go to fight. And even if I have to go to the front against Finns, I will go, that’s for sure, I will go against the Nazis, – he stated in a video published on December 21.

Turtiainen was elected to parliament from the "True Finns" party in 2019, representing Southeast Finland. The following year, he was expelled from the party after he posted a mocking racist tweet about George Floyd, who was killed by police in the U.S.

After that, Turtiainen founded the "Power Belongs to the People" (VKK) party, but the political force he created expelled him last year due to his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Parliament is trying to recover the funds allocated to Turtiainen during his term as an MP. Despite repeated requests, he has not explained what he used that money for.

In a recently published video, he says he left Finland when "friends from Russia" strongly advised him to leave immediately due to the actions of Finnish authorities. The first to report on the asylum granted to Turtiainen was the publication Iltalehti.