Finland Will Deport for Pro-Russian Statements 0 9

After the war unleashed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, Estonia expelled more than 20 pro-Russian activists residing in the country. The deportations were initiated by the Security Police, and the police and border guard were directly responsible for carrying them out. Some of those deported were born in Estonia, while others had lived in the country for a long time. Before their expulsion, their residence permits were revoked.

In Finland, it has been difficult to obtain detailed information from the authorities even about whether similar deportations were conducted, that is, whether Russian citizens were expelled from the country for pro-Kremlin activities during the war.

Anni Lehtonen, a public relations specialist at the Security Police (Supo), only stated that the agency had submitted applications to the Migration Service regarding the annulment of residence permits and deportations.

"But unfortunately, we cannot comment on the number of applications by various categories or the citizenship of these individuals," Lehtonen noted.

In 2023, Supo issued 50 negative opinions to Migri regarding national security matters. Half of these concerned Russian citizens. However, the agency does not disclose what specific national security threat these individuals pose.

Yle also contacted the Finnish Immigration Service with a question about the deportation of Russians on national security grounds. The service noted that it could not provide "information about deportation decisions with such a degree of accuracy."

Supo informed Yle that Russia exerts diverse and extensive influence in various European countries, but Finland is not its main target.

"In the Finnish segment of the internet and media, there has been virtually no publication supporting the war unleashed by the Russian Federation or other pro-Russian propaganda. This is explained by the fact that the war in Ukraine is condemned in Finnish society," Lehtonen believes.

Finland is currently striving for more effective means to combat information influence. The Ministry of Justice is currently working on a bill that criminalizes providing assistance to foreign intelligence services, including in the field of information influence.

"Supo's goal is to have the ability to punish for the systematic dissemination of false information when the offender consciously acts on behalf of a foreign intelligence service," Lehtonen added.

Venera Mahmud, an expert at the Ministry of Justice, in turn, reported that the bill is currently in the preparatory stage.

The basis for the legislative project is a point from the government program: "Systematic influence on the decision-making process in Finland on behalf of a foreign state with the aim of causing harm, as well as the dissemination of false information about the decision-making process in Finland <...> will be criminalized."

Yle requested two clarifications from Mahmud.

What will the phrase "on behalf of a foreign state" mean in practice? Should there be proven links, for example, to the intelligence service of another country, or will it be sufficient to publish a post on social media whose content aligns with the foreign policy of a hostile state? And what maximum punishment will be provided for these actions?

According to Mahmud, no additional details about the bill can be provided at this time.