When Finland evacuated its temporarily closed Petroskoen facility in late April, Finnish diplomats were followed and photographed as if there was something secret about their actions.
17.5. 18:56
Finland’s diplomatic missions and diplomats in Russia have been the target of a range of thought-provoking harassment even before the news published on Wednesday about the freezing of the missions’ bank accounts.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that it had received information about the freezing of accounts on 27 April, but it was announced to the public only on Wednesday, 17 May.
However, on 26 April, articles had already been published on several Russian news websites, making it clear that the activities of Finnish diplomats were being constantly monitored. At that time, Finnish diplomats were in Petrozavodsk, vacating the representation under the Consulate General in St. Petersburg, which Finland decided to temporarily close.
Russian news sites featured the actions of the Finnish diplomats from top to bottom – that is, the photographs were taken from the upper floors of the building near Petroskoyin’s office.
The shooting style was appropriate to create a certain kind of “agent effect”, as they were filmed in the yard of the diplomatic mission without the diplomats’ knowledge.
– On the morning of April 26, a Finnish truck and a car with diplomatic license plates were seen in front of the building of the Petroskoin representative office under the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg, Russian readers were informed.
Screenshot from dzen.ru. Photo: dzen.ru
One picture shows the white truck almost complete, and other pictures show Finnish diplomats preparing to leave.
– The consulate staff started taking away their property. They took farewell photos in front of the building where they worked, Russian readers were told, and several photos were published as proof of all this.
The articles also published photographs showing the recognizable license plate of a Finnish diplomatic car. The photos were also shared on Russian discussion sites, where opinions against and for Finland varied wildly.
In March, a secretly filmed video was published in the Russian media, showing the Consul General of the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg, Sannamaria Vannamo, meeting with representatives of the Jabloko party from St. Petersburg in a restaurant. Photo: Telegram
Earlier in March, Russian media had already published a secretly filmed video showing Consul General of the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg Sannamaria Vannamo meeting with representatives of the Jabloko party from St. Petersburg in a restaurant .
With the help of the video, an attempt was made to create an image of a secret meeting of Vanamo, where Finland’s financial assistance to the Russian opposition was allegedly discussed. According to Vanamo, the meeting was part of the normal work of diplomats and there was no discussion on any financial support for social actors in Russia.
– This kind of filming situation has happened to me and other Western colleagues before, Vanamo commented on IS at that time.
Read more: Was the filming of the Finnish consul a plot by the Russian intelligence service? Head of SUPO: “Exclusive Mode of Operation”
Read more: Russian politician smuggled out with Finnish diplomat: “We’re being shadowed all the time”
Read more: Finnish diplomat smuggled into St Petersburg: “It didn’t come as a surprise”
Embassy of Finland in Moscow. Photo: Jussi Nukari/Lehtiku
In December, Lekos was thrown into the yard of the Finnish embassy in Moscow, which was considered a symbol of Wagner’s forces.
The masked baton throwers managed to escape, even though the front of the Finnish embassy is constantly guarded by Russian police and several other carefully guarded houses nearby.
Russian police are usually quite effective at arresting, for example, opponents of Vladimir Putin and even individual representatives of the Russian opposition who express their opinions, but for some reason they avoid the embassy leak incident. Missed.
Read more: Bricks thrown in the yard of the Finnish embassy in Moscow – video is spreading on social media
Read more: Foreign Office confirms: A powdered letter from Moscow embassy was opened – “we take it seriously”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zharova. Photo: Reuters
In April, several powdered letters arrived at the embassy in Moscow, one of which was opened. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the letters were addressed to the Finnish military representative and his colleagues.
Diplomats from other EU countries have also been harassed in Russia. In late April, Russian media reported that a letter containing an unknown powder had arrived at the French embassy in Moscow.
In early April, the bones of a small animal had already been sent to the French embassy in Moscow. The letter was sent from Crimea.
Read more: Zharova: Powdered letters from the Finnish embassy in Moscow were addressed to the military representative
