The St. Petersburg Institute of Finland has announced that it will close its doors due to the decision of the Finland-Russia Society to withdraw from the management of the institute’s activities.
The institute was founded to represent Finnish culture in St. Petersburg. It also served as a meeting place for Finnish and Russian academic research and culture at various public events, such as exhibitions, concerts and seminars.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has made the institute’s operation virtually impossible, says the director of the Finland-Russia Association Niina Sinkko.
"The biggest problem is our inability to carry out administrative procedures smoothly on the Russian side. For example, money transactions do not flow," Sinkko said, adding that the institute’s financial security hung alongside the wire.
The association has continued to struggle with failing to promote its anti-war values within Russia’s borders.
"We are strongly opposed to war, but the Institute cannot take a stand on it in any way," Sinkko said, adding that the situation only seems to be getting worse gradually and not getting better.
All activities have been halted due to the war since the end of April and are expected to cease completely by the end of the year. The institute employs four people in St. Petersburg, as well as one full-time employee and one trainee in Finland.
Sinkko hopes that the institute could continue to operate in the future.
"This is an incredibly difficult decision. We tried to find ways to act, but Russian society is becoming more and more tense and unpredictable," the general secretary of the association said.
The closure of the institute is part of a wider deterioration in Finnish-Russian relations since the military offensive against Ukraine began on 24 February.
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Source: The Nordic Page