Finnish expert: Appeal of the Russian embassy to Russian-speaking people should not disturb the authorities of the country

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Helsinki invited Russian citizens and Russian speakers to report cases of discrimination and violation of the rights of Russian speakers in Finland. “Dear compatriots! We ask you to report cases of violation of rights, discrimination and incitement of hatred against citizens of the Russian Federation and native speakers of the Russian language to the consular department of the embassy, ​​”the appeal says.

According to Yle, Jussi Lassila, an expert at the Institute of International Relations, believes that this appeal should not cause concern for the country’s authorities.

According to Lassil, the statement is more intended for an internal audience. The expert considers the appeal an attempt to “find some material for use in domestic propaganda.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that Finland should be prepared for a possible influx of refugees from Russia. According to her, sanctions against the Russian Federation may push the Russians to leave the country.

Sanna Marin also stated that the country is ready to apply for NATO membership if such a need arises in the interests of national security.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal to the Russians and announced a special military operation in the Donbass. In his speech, he stated that “circumstances require decisive action from Russia” and stressed that “Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.” In response to Russia’s actions, Western countries (USA, Canada, EU, UK, Japan) announced new, tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, including financial and economic ones.