There is only one diplomatic representation in Murmansk today – Finland. Finland was the only one left when Norway closed its main consulate in this summer, the largest city in the entire region north of the Arctic Circle. However, the Murmansk office of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg operates on a budget, at the moment landscape work and projects are on hold.
– From Finland’s point of view, there has been no need to make changes to the representation network in Russia. The situation is being monitored, says the vice consul No Roos From the Murmansk office of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg.
Roos says that they have ten employees who work on administration, communication and public service.
– Most of them are hired locally. We also cooperate with the police and border contact persons. We handle consular and immigration matters as usual. In addition to Finland, we also represent the EU, that is, if necessary, we assist other EU member states.
“There is now a break in the projects”
In the past, the Finnish Consulate in Murmansk organized cultural events for the people of Murmansk, such as the annual Finnish film festival. Most of the events and cultural cooperation are now frozen due to the war started by Russia and tightened sanctions.
According to Vice-Consul Eija Roos, landscape work cannot be done as before as the operating conditions have weakened.
– There is a break in the projects now, but landscape work is still seen as important. The Murmansk office continues the operation of the Suomi club. There are meetings about once a month.
Suomi-klubi has been a club for years, where Russians interested in Finland and the Finnish language can gather. Various themes are discussed at the meetings, including Finnish nature, food and culture.
– The Suomi club met online during the corona virus, but now it has been on site a few times.
Tourists are rarely seen in Murmansk
Almost 300,000 people live in the city of Murmansk. There is no Finnish community – according to the consulate’s information, only individual Finns live there.
Finnish and Western tourists are rarely seen in Murmansk. Even the Chinese travelers who appeared before the corona virus have not returned.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland recommends avoiding all travel to Russia. However, if it is necessary to get to Russia, Vice Consul Eija Roos reminds all Finnish citizens to make a travel declaration at matkustusilmoit.fi (you will switch to another service).
– From there we monitor who is visiting here. If something surprising comes up that requires reaching out to Finns, we will then get in touch with them.
There are many closed areas in the Murmansk region that foreigners and not all Russians can enter. Among them are military and industrial areas.
“We invest in tourism”
Eija Roos has worked in Murmansk at the Finnish consulate several times, the first time in 2015. Tourism and program services are invested in the Kola peninsula. Roos saw a huge change when he returned to Murmansk after a few years in 2019.
– There were new cafes and restaurants, and a lot of Chinese tourists. Husky safaris, northern lights trips and other activities had been developed for them.
According to Eija Roos, the Murmansk region and the Republic of Karelia have become the favorite destinations of domestic Russian tourists.
– The village of Teriberka on the shore of the Arctic Ocean used to be like an abandoned village, but it has become a tourist destination. There are rental cabins, restaurants and hotels. We invest in tourism here.
“Visa applications are carefully examined so that we know who is coming to Finland”
Among others, students, family members of Finns and business travelers who have a necessary reason to come to Finland come to Finland from the Murmansk region. Russian tourists will no longer be granted visas after the Finnish Government made a decision on this in September.
– Those who apply for a visa are carefully examined so that we know who is coming to Finland from Russia and the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions.
Western movements have echoed from Murmansk
Western trade chains have echoed from Murmansk as well as from other parts of Russia.
– Quite a lot of foreign retail chains have left here due to sanctions and the situation. The stores’ selections have shrunk quite a bit. As everywhere, prices have risen here as well, vice consul Eija Roos says.
– Finnish bank cards don’t work here, which means you can’t use them to pay or withdraw money, for example, in a store. There are also import restrictions for euros.
The Finnish company Stockmann, which operated in Murmansk, closed this year, as did McDonald’s and several clothing chains, including H&M. The new Russian owners may still use the names of international stores, as is the case with Stockmann. In some cases, the name and products have been changed to Russian ones, but the concept remains.
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