Russia has initiated a coordinated information campaign targeting Finland, echoing tactics used against Ukraine before its invasion. Russian politicians claim Finnish dissatisfaction with their government and criticize Finland's NATO membership. The campaign suggests deteriorating Russian-Finnish relations and economic impacts due to reduced Russian tourism.
Russia Launches Threatening Information Campaign Against Finland
Russia Launches Threatening Information Campaign Against Finland
Russia has initiated an information campaign threatening Finland, according to the think tank ISW. The rhetoric mirrors that used against Ukraine before the invasion. Russian politicians claim, among other things, that the Finnish population is dissatisfied with their government.
In recent days, Russian state media have reported several statements about Finland by Russian politicians. The think tank ISW interprets this as Russia now launching a coordinated information campaign against its neighboring country.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Thursday that the Finnish government's "neutral veneer has peeled off" and that revanchism is "literally on the rise" in Finland.
Sergei Ivanov, who has served as defense minister and chief of staff to the president and is reportedly part of Vladimir Putin's inner circle, claimed the same day that Russian-Finnish relations "practically do not exist" and will not improve in the future because Finland is a NATO country and "actively encourages strengthening the defense alliance's eastern border."
Familiar Rhetoric
Sergei Ivanov also said that the Finnish people are dissatisfied with their government and that the absence of Russian tourists has led to a weakened economy in southeastern Finland, ISW further reports.
Alexei Chepa, vice chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, has spoken about how NATO membership has caused Russians to stop buying property in and visiting Finland, which he claims has led to a "depopulation" of the country.
ISW writes that the strategy Russia is now using to threaten Finland resembles the strategy previously used to create informational conditions for aggression against Ukraine.