Local activists suggested simply burning the building.
Last week, the municipality of Virolahti in southeastern Finland sold a school building in Vaalimaa and an adjacent house. The buyer is a person of Russian descent named Dmitry Tomashevich.
The sale of the properties sparked discussion, for example, on social media. Some residents of the region opposed such transactions.
One of them is retired major Erkki Rikkola from Klami. He expressed confidence that Russian military personnel managed to infiltrate Finland along with asylum seekers before the border was closed.
"I had suspicions earlier when these 'cyclists' started coming here. But it reached the public later. I would consider these real estate transactions childish nonsense if the matter were not so serious," Rikkola reflects.
He also refers to a book by local author Iida Hallikainen titled "Malice, Sabotage, and Attacks," which states that the first asylum seekers crossing the border in Vaalimaa in 2023 were Russian soldiers, and not all of them were intended to be sent to the front.
Suspicious real estate transactions have also been recorded in other countries. Last week, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Russian intelligence services had acquired properties in at least ten European countries near military bases and critical infrastructure facilities.
After the closure of the border crossing, Virolahti found itself in a difficult situation, and one way to reduce the financial burden is to quickly get rid of unnecessary real estate. However, Finnish homes in the border area do not attract buyers, so selling to people of Russian origin may become the only option.
The head of the municipality, Topi Heinänen, points out that the profit from the sale of the controversial school and house is significant. The buildings need heating since they share a common heating and water supply system.
"Heating alone costs us about 40,000 euros a year. These are significant expenses for the municipality.
The properties themselves cost only 17,700 euros.
The head of Virolahti explained that in this particular transaction, the buyer was primarily a citizen of Finland.
"We examined the sanctions lists and considered the possibility of obtaining permission for the transaction, but for the Ministry of Defense, the key factor was a Finnish passport," Heinänen clarified.
According to him, a more detailed background check of the buyer was not necessary. The ban on real estate transactions for Russians allows individuals with dual citizenship to act as buyers.
He noted that the municipality had no real alternatives, and a refusal based on origin could lead to accusations of discrimination.
Expert Jussi Aaltonen from the Office of the Ombudsman for Equality, in turn, indirectly confirms Heinänen's words.
"The right of citizens of Finland and Russia with dual citizenship to acquire real estate is not restricted. Refusal to sell on discriminatory grounds is not permitted," Aaltonen specified.
The Future of the Controversial School
The buyer, Dmitry Tomashevich, did not wish to comment on the transaction for Yle, but he shared a contact from Virolahti.
This refers to Russian carpenter Ilya Altynbaev, who plans to rent the school in Vaalimaa from Tomashevich. According to the Russian, he has clients all over Finland and is considering expanding his workshop. He mentioned that the current premises are too cramped, so he wants to move into the school building.
Retired major Erkki Rikkola has his own vision of the situation. He suggests asking the firefighters to simply burn the school to the ground.
Rikkola believes that nothing can save his native municipality anymore.
"At first, the authorities will try to escape bankruptcy through the sale of real estate, and then they will have to merge municipalities. What madness this all is!"
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