went through the comments of Russia’s most influential decision-makers starting in the spring of last year. They show that Finland’s place in Russian propaganda has turned upside down.
May 2022: Russia reacts calmly to Finland’s NATO membership
President Vladimir Putin on 16 May 2022:
Finland’s NATO membership does not directly threaten Russia.
When Finland started the application process for NATO, Vladimir Putin assured that it was not a problem for Russia.
According to Putin, there is no direct threat to Russia from NATO membership of Finland and Sweden. On the other hand, he warned that Russia will certainly react if military infrastructure is placed in the countries in question.
The meaning of the statement: It is noteworthy that Putin has not commented as directly on his country’s relations with Finland since then. Instead, the tightening of propaganda can be seen in the speeches of the rest of the Russian leadership.
January 2023: Russia accuses Finland’s actions of intermediate crime
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov 30 January 2023:
Finland has fallen into anti-Russian propaganda and war psychosis.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed Finland alone for the deterioration of bilateral relations.
– Bilateral relations developed over decades were suddenly destroyed by the Finnish leadership. It chose a categorically opposite direction towards our country, following the general anti-Russian propaganda and military psychosis of the West, Lavrov claimed the Russian Foreign Ministry on the website.
The meaning of the statement: It is a written answer given in the name of the foreign minister to a question sent to Lavrov’s annual press conference.
The answer is a model example of Russian propaganda, with which the country tries to nullify the consequences of the illegal war of aggression it started in Ukraine on international relations.
Lavrov has served as his country’s foreign minister for almost 20 years. He is generally considered to be the implementer of Putin’s foreign policy rather than its creator.
April 2023: Russia sees Finland as a security threat
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov 4 April 2023:
Finland is attacking Russia’s security.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov argued, that NATO expansion is an attack on Russia’s security and its national interests. He also warned that Finland’s membership in the military alliance forces Russia to take tactical and strategic countermeasures.
The meaning of the statement: Peskov’s claim is based on propaganda drummed up by the Russians, according to which NATO is not a defense alliance, but rather threatens the existence of Russia as a whole. Therefore, according to the Kremlin, mere membership in the military alliance endangers Russia’s security.
Peskov presents himself as Putin’s spokesman, who is used to explaining black as white. His not viewed belonging to the inner circle of the president.
July 2023: Russia considers Finland an aggressive neighbor
Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev 31 July 2023:
Finland has consciously taken an enemy-oriented course.
The Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, claimed that Finland, under pressure from the USA, is seeking a confrontation with Russia.
– The current policy of the Finnish leadership, fed by Washington’s curators, destroys the good neighborly relations between Russia and Finland, which were created after the crushing defeat of fascist Germany.
– Now a hostile course towards our country has been deliberately taken again. Apparently no lessons have been learned from the recent past, Patrushev said to the news agency Interfax by.
Appearing at the Petroskoi security meeting, Patrushev also accused the Finns of fueling rebellion in Russia and of intensifying demands for the return of the ceded Karelia.
The meaning of the statement: According to the claim, Finland is increasingly deliberately seeking a military conflict with Russia.
In Russian propaganda, NATO-Finland is generally presented as a puppet of the United States. Now the Finns’ own will to take anti-Russian actions is also emphasized, and it is justified, among other things, by history.
Described as Putin’s right-hand man, Patrushev is considered one of the president’s closest allies. Patrushev, who previously worked as the director of the Russian security service FSB, has worked for almost 15 years as a secretary in the Russian Security Council, which shapes the country’s security policy decisions under the leadership of the president.
August 2023: Finland’s NATO membership critically threatens Russia
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu 9 August 2023:
Finland’s NATO membership is a factor that creates serious instability.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that NATO-Finland has become a significant threat to Russia’s security.
According to Šoigu, military security threats have grown significantly in northwestern Russia. The defense minister explained this by claiming that NATO attack equipment is probably being brought to Finland, which can be used to strike vital targets in Russia.
Later, Šoigu has announced that Russia will respond to the increased threat by intensifying military cooperation with Belarus.
The meaning of the statement: The defense minister’s comment shows how, in just over a year, official Russia’s attitude towards NATO-Finland has been turned on its head.
Russia now claims that Finland directly threatens it. Therefore, the Russian leadership considers concrete countermeasures necessary, regardless of how Finland develops its defense as a member of the military alliance. At the same time, Russian propaganda aims to intimidate Finnish decision-makers in order to limit cooperation in the military alliance.
Shoigu has been sharply criticized for his failures in Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Among other things, the one who led the Wagner mercenary rebellion Yevgeny Prigozhin has demanded the resignation of the Minister of Defense. However, Šoigu, who has long been part of the president’s inner circle, has maintained his position with Putin’s support.
What should one think of all this?
NATO membership and active support for Ukraine have changed the official Russian way of speaking towards Finland.
In the past, Russian propaganda has cherished the idea of a special relationship with Finland. The neighborhood has even been considered a model example in Russia’s international relations. Now Russia has started to consider Finland, like other Western countries, more and more directly as an enemy country.
It is important to understand that the public statements of senior Russian leaders are part of the country’s propaganda. They try to influence the Russian public in addition to Finns.
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