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Russia Today
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU state's capital elects mayor with Russian roots
Daniel Sazonov, the son of Russian immigrants, has been elected the next mayor of Helsinki, according to the Finnish national broadcaster Yle, which cited the results of the municipal election on Monday. Although both the conservative National Coalition Party and their main rivals, the Social Democrats, secured 21 seats each on the city council, the conservatives will appoint the new mayor after winning a larger share of the popular vote. Born in Helsinki in 1993, Sazonov holds a law degree. According to his personal website, his parents are Ingrian Finns who emigrated from Russia. The historical region of Ingria spans from Lake Ladoga to the Karelian Isthmus, encompassing the area around present-day St. Petersburg. Sazonov became a Finnish citizen at the age of nine. He was first elected to the Helsinki City Council in 2017 and was appointed deputy mayor for social affairs and health in 2021. Read more Finland risks becoming a 'battlefield' against Russia – former EU adviser According to Yle, Sazonov previously wrote columns for the now-defunct Russian-language newspaper Spektr and its successor, Finskaya Gazeta . He reportedly severed ties with the publication in 2022 due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 'I don't want to have any dealings with parties that support Russia's position … In light of the current information, writing for the newspaper was a mistake,' he wrote on X in February. 'I haven't been to Russia in years and have no ties there,' he added. During the Cold War, Finland maintained relatively friendly relations with the Soviet Union. The close ties continued for decades after the collapse of the Socialist Bloc. Since 2022, however, Finland has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Moscow. In 2023, the Nordic country abandoned its long-standing policy of non-alignment and officially joined NATO.
Rudaw Net
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
37 Kurds run for Finnish local elections
Also in World China well-prepared to counter Trump's tariff strategy: Researcher Iran's FM heads to Oman with 'key proposals' for talks with US US maintains non-recognition of any entity as the Syrian government: Spox Russia welcomes advancement of SDF-Damascus relations: Spox A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Thirty-seven candidates of Kurdish background are running in Finland's county and municipal elections on Sunday, with over 20,000 Kurds expected to cast their votes. 'Voting is not just a right; it is also a social duty,' Welat Nehri, former president of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in Finland, told Rudaw's Diaspora program during a debate on Friday. The Kurdish candidates span the center-to-left political spectrum in Finland: 18 are running on a Social Democratic Party ticket, six with the National Coalition Party, five with the Left Alliance, three with the Swedish People's Party, two with the Green Party, one with the Christian Democrats, and two with the Centre Party. Among the candidates, 22 are men and 15 are women. Nehri stated that Kurds in Finland are considered an 'active and successful community.' 'But we must do even more to secure our future,' he added. Key campaign themes include cultural recognition, political participation, expanded local welfare services, and the promotion of social justice. 'When we become a political force - when we have political capital within this country and among the ranks of political parties - we will be taken into account at decision-making levels,' said Majid Haqqi, an expert on elections and the Kurdish diaspora in Finland. Haqqi warned that abstention could lead to gains for far-right parties. 'Silence helps those who want to exclude us,' he said. 'The far-right wants immigrants to stay silent. Our votes are our loudest protest against their racism.' Shahen Zada Ahmed, a Social Democratic candidate in the southwestern city of Turku, echoed Haqqi's sentiments. 'The left has always stood with oppressed nations. As Kurds, we naturally align with parties that fight for justice,' she said, adding that 'this election is not just a competition, but a revolution in Kurdish political engagement.' "If you don't like my program, vote for another Kurdish candidate - but don't waste your vote. Participation is power,' she added. Also speaking during the debate, Shina Rezavi, a specialist in refugee affairs and human rights, emphasized the importance of representation. 'When Kurds enter decision-making spaces, our community's struggles are heard. Representation changes everything.' Candidates also highlighted their stances on human rights and equality. 'Women's rights are human rights. The Kurdish women's struggle inspires me to fight for equality here in Finland,' said Shayda Sohrabi, who is running with the National Coalition Party. 'Many victims of human trafficking don't know their rights because of language barriers. We need services in their mother tongues,' Rezavi added. 'When a refugee is exploited at work, it's not just their problem—it weakens labor rights for all Finns.' Panelists also discussed the importance of local-level social services. 'Kurdish mothers who can't speak Finnish still understand when their children's schools are underfunded. That's why local elections matter,' said Haqqi. 'Local elections shape daily life—schools, healthcare, jobs. Kurds must engage at every level of politics,' he added. Meanwhile, Nehri noted that "our children must understand: voting isn't just about today, it's about securing their future in this country.' The candidates also spoke about integration, noting that Kurds have successfully converged into Finnish culture. "When I walk through Helsinki's streets campaigning, I don't see just Kurds or Finns - I see neighbors who all deserve dignity," Sohrbai noted, explaining that she sees herself as a 'proud Kurd and a proud Finn' at the same time. 'We don't have to choose - we can be both,' she added. Meanwhile, Zada Ahmed stressed that multiculturalism 'is not Finland's weakness but its superpower in the 21st century.' According to a March 25 press release from the Finnish Ministry of Justice, voters in the county elections will choose councillors responsible for organizing health, social, and rescue services in the wellbeing services counties. In the municipal elections, they will elect councillors to manage the activities and finances of their municipalities.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia's economy is cracking and West must step up sanctions, says Finnish foreign minister
Russia's economy is showing 'serious cracks' and the West must intensify sanctions to put Ukraine in the best possible position for a peace deal, Finland's foreign minister has said. In an interview with The Telegraph, Elina Valtonen, who was in London for talks with the Foreign Secretary, urged Western nations to 'keep up the economic pressure' on Russia in the critical months to come 'We see that sanctions are working,' Ms Valtonen said, 'Russia's economy is showing some serious cracks'. 'We just need to be wrapping things up so that there could be peace, hopefully later in the year.' The minister's remarks came amid a fresh push to curtail the 'shadow fleet' of ageing, uninsured tankers Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions. Moscow relies on around 600 such vessels to covertly carry its oil and gas around the world, undermining the EU and G7 price cap on its fuel and petroleum products. Its treasury has earned more £650 billion from exporting oil and gas since the war began in 2022. In December, 12 European countries including the UK and Finland agreed to begin requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow fleet vessels as they pass through the English Channel and the seas around Denmark, Sweden and Finland. If implemented effectively, the additional checks could disrupt the fleet's money-gathering operations. Economists have highlighted signs of strain in the Russian economy in recent months, such as the central bank's decision to raise its key interest rate to 21 per cent. While Vladimir Putin can maintain his war machine at current levels, the economic growth prompted by lavish spending on the military and wage growth tied to manpower shortages is starting to run out of steam. GDP growth in 2025 is forecast at between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent, well down on the 3 per cent this year. Following her meeting in London with David Lammy, Ms Valtonen said: 'We are like-minded in so many things.' The UK and Finland share a belief 'in the need for Europe to ramp up its defence and deterrence, and also especially the need to aid Ukraine in this situation', added Ms Valtonen, a member of Finland's ruling centre-Right National Coalition Party. On Dec 26, Finnish military police boarded the Eagle S, a tanker suspected of damaging the undersea Estlink 2 power cable in the Baltic Sea. At least 11 undersea cables in the region have been damaged since October 2023. The aggressive operation was a sign to Russia that, if it is planning further sabotage in Western waters, 'they should drop it,' Ms Valtonen said. In January, Royal Navy vessels confronted the Yantar, a Russian spy ship, after it entered British waters. Under the Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef), the UK and nine other nations including Finland have joined forces to share information regarding the shadow fleet, including the use of a British AI system to flag vessels as they enter suspicious zones. 'We agreed that we join forces in any ways, legal ways, to even better tackle these [shadow fleet] issues,' Ms Valtonen said, adding that Finland was also stepping up technical surveillance of undersea infrastructure. Helsinki has overtaken Britain in terms of spending on defence as a percentage of GDP, hitting 2.41 per cent in 2024 following a drive to modernise its military in line with Nato standards. Sir Keir Starmer has commissioned a Strategic Defence Review, due to report in the spring, aimed at raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, up from the current 2.3 per cent. But the target may not be reached until 2030, according to reports last week, in an effort to avoid further spending cuts. 'We want capabilities to be strong in order to deter Russia or anyone else for that matter,' Ms Valtonen said, referring to the need to make the Finnish army 'interoperable within Nato and also adherent to Nato's defence plans' after joining the bloc in 2023. On defence spending as a whole, she said: 'It's an existential question for Europe and all countries need to ramp up their defence and deterrence. 'We are in this together, and I think the recent surge in these hybrid attacks, whether it's by Russia or whoever… it's important to realise we are very much in the same boat. 'Even if there was peace in Ukraine – which needs to be, of course, just and lasting – it's possible that the threat from Russia doesn't go away, which means that you still need to be able to defend and deter in other places in Europe as well.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia's economy is cracking and West must step up sanctions, says Finnish foreign minister
Russia's economy is showing 'serious cracks' and the West must intensify sanctions to put Ukraine in the best possible position for a peace deal, Finland's foreign minister has said. In an interview with The Telegraph, Elina Valtonen, who was in London for talks with the Foreign Secretary, urged Western nations to 'keep up the economic pressure' on Russia in the critical months to come 'We see that sanctions are working,' Ms Valtonen said, 'Russia's economy is showing some serious cracks'. 'We just need to be wrapping things up so that there could be peace, hopefully later in the year.' The minister's remarks came amid a fresh push to curtail the 'shadow fleet' of ageing, uninsured tankers Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions. Moscow relies on around 600 such vessels to covertly carry its oil and gas around the world, undermining the EU and G7 price cap on its fuel and petroleum products. Its treasury has earned more £650 billion from exporting oil and gas since the war began in 2022. In December, 12 European countries including the UK and Finland agreed to begin requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow fleet vessels as they pass through the English Channel and the seas around Denmark, Sweden and Finland. If implemented effectively, the additional checks could disrupt the fleet's money-gathering operations. Economists have highlighted signs of strain in the Russian economy in recent months, such as the central bank's decision to raise its key interest rate to 21 per cent. While Vladimir Putin can maintain his war machine at current levels, the economic growth prompted by lavish spending on the military and wage growth tied to manpower shortages is starting to run out of steam. GDP growth in 2025 is forecast at between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent, well down on the 3 per cent this year. Following her meeting in London with David Lammy, Ms Valtonen said: 'We are like-minded in so many things.' The UK and Finland share a belief 'in the need for Europe to ramp up its defence and deterrence, and also especially the need to aid Ukraine in this situation', added Ms Valtonen, a member of Finland's ruling centre-Right National Coalition Party. On Dec 26, Finnish military police boarded the Eagle S, a tanker suspected of damaging the undersea Estlink 2 power cable in the Baltic Sea. At least 11 undersea cables in the region have been damaged since October 2023. The aggressive operation was a sign to Russia that, if it is planning further sabotage in Western waters, 'they should drop it,' Ms Valtonen said. In January, Royal Navy vessels confronted the Yantar, a Russian spy ship, after it entered British waters. Under the Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef), the UK and nine other nations including Finland have joined forces to share information regarding the shadow fleet, including the use of a British AI system to flag vessels as they enter suspicious zones. 'We agreed that we join forces in any ways, legal ways, to even better tackle these [shadow fleet] issues,' Ms Valtonen said, adding that Finland was also stepping up technical surveillance of undersea infrastructure. Helsinki has overtaken Britain in terms of spending on defence as a percentage of GDP, hitting 2.41 per cent in 2024 following a drive to modernise its military in line with Nato standards. Sir Keir Starmer has commissioned a Strategic Defence Review, due to report in the spring, aimed at raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, up from the current 2.3 per cent. But the target may not be reached until 2030, according to reports last week, in an effort to avoid further spending cuts. 'We want capabilities to be strong in order to deter Russia or anyone else for that matter,' Ms Valtonen said, referring to the need to make the Finnish army 'interoperable within Nato and also adherent to Nato's defence plans' after joining the bloc in 2023. On defence spending as a whole, she said: 'It's an existential question for Europe and all countries need to ramp up their defence and deterrence. 'We are in this together, and I think the recent surge in these hybrid attacks, whether it's by Russia or whoever… it's important to realise we are very much in the same boat. 'Even if there was peace in Ukraine – which needs to be, of course, just and lasting – it's possible that the threat from Russia doesn't go away, which means that you still need to be able to defend and deter in other places in Europe as well.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Russia's economy is cracking and West must step up sanctions, says Finnish foreign minister
Russia's economy is showing 'serious cracks' and the West must intensify sanctions to put Ukraine in the best possible position for a peace deal, Finland's foreign minister has said. In an interview with The Telegraph, Elina Valtonen, who was in London for talks with the Foreign Secretary, urged Western nations to 'keep up the economic pressure' on Russia in the critical months to come 'We see that sanctions are working,' Ms Valtonen said, 'Russia's economy is showing some serious cracks'. 'We just need to be wrapping things up so that there could be peace, hopefully later in the year.' The minister's remarks came amid a fresh push to curtail the 'shadow fleet' of ageing, uninsured tankers Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions. Moscow relies on around 600 such vessels to covertly carry its oil and gas around the world, undermining the EU and G7 price cap on its fuel and petroleum products. Its treasury has earned more £650 billion from exporting oil and gas since the war began in 2022. In December, 12 European countries including the UK and Finland agreed to begin requesting proof of insurance from suspected shadow fleet vessels as they pass through the English Channel and the seas around Denmark, Sweden and Finland. If implemented effectively, the additional checks could disrupt the fleet's money-gathering operations. Economists have highlighted signs of strain in the Russian economy in recent months, such as the central bank's decision to raise its key interest rate to 21 per cent. While Vladimir Putin can maintain his war machine at current levels, the economic growth prompted by lavish spending on the military and wage growth tied to manpower shortages is starting to run out of steam. GDP growth in 2025 is forecast at between 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent, well down on the 3 per cent this year. Following her meeting in London with David Lammy, Ms Valtonen said: 'We are like-minded in so many things.' The UK and Finland share a belief 'in the need for Europe to ramp up its defence and deterrence, and also especially the need to aid Ukraine in this situation', added Ms Valtonen, a member of Finland's ruling centre-Right National Coalition Party. On Dec 26, Finnish military police boarded the Eagle S, a tanker suspected of damaging the undersea Estlink 2 power cable in the Baltic Sea. At least 11 undersea cables in the region have been damaged since October 2023. The aggressive operation was a sign to Russia that, if it is planning further sabotage in Western waters, 'they should drop it,' Ms Valtonen said. In January, Royal Navy vessels confronted the Yantar, a Russian spy ship, after it entered British waters. Under the Joint Expeditionary Force (Jef), the UK and nine other nations including Finland have joined forces to share information regarding the shadow fleet, including the use of a British AI system to flag vessels as they enter suspicious zones. 'We agreed that we join forces in any ways, legal ways, to even better tackle these [shadow fleet] issues,' Ms Valtonen said, adding that Finland was also stepping up technical surveillance of undersea infrastructure. Helsinki has overtaken Britain in terms of spending on defence as a percentage of GDP, hitting 2.41 per cent in 2024 following a drive to modernise its military in line with Nato standards. Sir Keir Starmer has commissioned a Strategic Defence Review, due to report in the spring, aimed at raising UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, up from the current 2.3 per cent. But the target may not be reached until 2030, according to reports last week, in an effort to avoid further spending cuts. 'We want capabilities to be strong in order to deter Russia or anyone else for that matter,' Ms Valtonen said, referring to the need to make the Finnish army 'interoperable within Nato and also adherent to Nato's defence plans' after joining the bloc in 2023. On defence spending as a whole, she said: 'It's an existential question for Europe and all countries need to ramp up their defence and deterrence. 'We are in this together, and I think the recent surge in these hybrid attacks, whether it's by Russia or whoever… it's important to realise we are very much in the same boat. 'Even if there was peace in Ukraine – which needs to be, of course, just and lasting – it's possible that the threat from Russia doesn't go away, which means that you still need to be able to defend and deter in other places in Europe as well.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
