The Russian Embassy in Helsinki has urged Russian citizens living in Finland to report to the consulate all cases in which they suspect that they have been the victim of discrimination, hate speech or violation of civil rights.
The call was made through the embassy’s social media channels.
Jussi LassilaA senior researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute (FIIA) told Yle that the embassy’s statement was an expected reaction to the Kremlin’s plight over the war in Ukraine.
"There are few friends and the data front is completely gone. The moral support of the world is on Ukraine’s side, and there are no clear allies [for Russia]," he said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led some Russian-speakers in Finland to report being the victims of verbal and physical violence.
Lassila added that it was foreseeable that the Russian government would at some point try to take advantage of the ill-treatment of Russian citizens abroad.
He noted that anti-Russian sentiment has risen to extremes elsewhere in the world, where, for example, Russian literature is banned or Russian students are barred from attending university classes.
"We must not go down this road, we must get as many Russians as possible against Putin and for justice and truth, for Ukraine and for Europe." Lassila said, adding that Finland must be careful not to play into Putin’s hands by punishing Russian citizens.
"This whole catastrophe is the result of what happens when there is an authoritarian regime in which the views and opinions of citizens are not asked for or are considered irrelevant," he said.
He also noted that Russia is in a very difficult situation because it is difficult to appeal directly to Russians living abroad because the administration knows that many of its citizens living elsewhere are criticizing the president. Vladimir Putinn actions.
In addition, many Russians have left their homeland since Putin launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
"This message seeks to find a way for Russia to gain legitimacy among its own people for this nonsense," Lassila said, adding that such tactics are likely to increase as the war in Ukraine continues.
The Russian Embassy in Sweden has made a similar call through its own social media channels. According to Lassila, these statements are almost certainly coordinated by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: The Nordic Page