The overall understanding of the neighboring country is also weakening.
In the border town of Lappeenranta, the number of those wishing to learn the Russian language continues to remain at a record low level.
Eight years ago, half of all students choosing an additional foreign language in Lappeenranta preferred Russian. Three years ago, this figure dropped to 14 percent, and last year it was only nine percent.
The head of the city's education department, Heidi Laari, believes that it is especially important to support language education right now.
"I personally hope that there will continue to be students studying the Russian language in Lappeenranta. Russia, as our neighbor, is not going anywhere," emphasizes Laari.
The center of Lappeenranta is located just twenty kilometers from the Russian border.
The Russian language has traditionally been popular in the city. For example, in the fall of 2014, ten groups for Russian language learners in the fourth grade were formed in Lappeenranta.
In 2023, no new groups were created. The situation did not change in the subsequent period.
"The formation of study groups is influenced not only by the number of interested students but also by their geographical distribution across the city. For example, a significant distance to the school can become a serious obstacle for a student," explains Laari.
The administration of Lappeenranta forms a study group when there are at least 16 interested students. However, the group can be smaller if there are organizational possibilities for its creation.
The Russian language in Finland is experiencing a crisis, the way out of which seems quite complicated.
Researchers express concern that along with the loss of language skills, the overall understanding of the neighboring country is also weakening. In the future, this may lead to serious problems.
"Undoubtedly, the choice of language to study is a personal decision of the child and their parents. What we can do on our part is to speak about all languages in a positive light," notes Laari.
The number of people studying the Russian language has sharply decreased in Finland since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
In Lappeenranta, there is also an opportunity to study the Russian language and culture at the private school of Eastern Finland.
Overall, interest in elective foreign language studies in Lappeenranta has noticeably decreased in recent years.
In 2022, 42 percent of students in the relevant age group chose an elective foreign language in primary school, in 2024 – 39 percent, and last year – only 31 percent.
"It seems that there is now a tendency to avoid additional workload. Indeed, choosing another language adds two study hours per week," comments Laari.
In Lappeenranta, Russian can be started in the fourth or seventh grade. Alternative options include Spanish, French, and German.
The popularity of the Spanish language has particularly increased.
