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Mon21 Jul04:30pm(90 mins)
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Where:
Room 6
Panelist:
Panelist:
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Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022 notably changed the position of Finland in international relations, which resulted in a NATO membership in 2023. Finland and Russia share a long border and mere 300 kilometers separates Helsinki from Saint Petersburg. Between 1944 and 1995, Finland stayed outside political and military alliances, claiming neutral status but being under the political influence of the Soviet Union, avoiding moves that would irritate its neighbour. After 1991, Finland continued its cautious approach, joining the EU in 1995, but NATO much later. As a result, Finland’s reputation in Russia was good, business relations flourished until 2014 (in some fields even up to 2022) and contacts between Finnish and Russian civic society were numerous. Military-wise, though, Finland was well-prepared. In retrospect, the Finnish approach opened a number of channels for Russia to influence Finnish political and business elite, like minded citizens, as well as the Russian-speaking community in Finland.
The Finnish defensive sector in particular has examined Russian hybrid warfare as well as different military threats it poses for quite some time. However, research on Russian influence beyond these areas has been more scarce. In this roundtable we discuss unconventional means used for Russian political influencing, how different actors of civic society, business, cultural life, minorities, religious circles and the political right have been approached by Russia and used for different purposes. The roundtable pays particular attention to influencing at the level of individuals and organizations. Russia seeks to use people who are interested in the country for various reasons as extensions of its foreign policy. By building connections with organizations and individuals perceived as non-political, Russia aims to establish networks that can, at the right moment, be used to influence decision-making chains, block developments unfavorable to Russia, and create general confusion in the target country.
