Will Russia take the House of Finland on Bolshaya Konyushennaya?

The scandal that began this week with the seizure of dozens of Russian real estate by the Finnish Bailiff Service, in addition to the harsh diplomatic response of the Russian authorities, received new development – as it became known last Friday, Finns now fear for the fate of their own real estate remaining in the Russian Federation. First of all, this concerns the House of Finland on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street in St. Petersburg.

In turn, the representative of the Finnish Foreign Ministry Mikko Kivikoski reported on November 1 that the Finnish state in Russia owns three real estate properties – the embassy in Moscow and the former consulate general in St. Petersburg, which are diplomatic property and are under international protection, as well as the House of Finland, where it was previously located The cultural center of the country is in St. Petersburg, which is not protected by such status.

“The property continues to be monitored. The embassy in Moscow is operating as usual, but the House of Finland in St. Petersburg has subtenants and little activity,” Kivikoski told public broadcaster Yle, adding that according to his information, Russia has not yet taken any retaliatory action against the property.

Reaction in Russia and the EU

Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that attempts to seize Russian assets, income from them and property are illegal. The Russian side regards such actions as fraudulent, which only undermine trust in unfriendly countries in the world.

As Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters, Russia will challenge in court the possible confiscation of its property in Finland following a claim from Ukraine. According to him, the Russian Federation will protect its property interests, using all legal mechanisms for this.

The Russian Embassy in Helsinki told the TASS agency that they are counting on a review of the decision of the Finnish Bailiff Service to seize Russian real estate.

“Half of these properties, including country houses and apartments where embassy diplomats reside, are diplomatic immovable property, used for official and representative purposes of the embassy and, thus, have appropriate immunity under the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as well as Finnish law.” , the diplomatic mission emphasized.

The embassy sent a note to the Finnish Foreign Ministry expressing a strong protest against the latest anti-Russian actions of the republican authorities, which grossly violate the provisions of international law.

On October 30, the Finnish Ambassador to Moscow Marja Liivala was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where she was also given a strong protest in connection with the illegitimate seizure of real estate, including that protected by diplomatic immunity. The Russian side demanded that the Finnish side reconsider this decision as soon as possible.

“It was emphasized to the ambassador that otherwise responsibility for the consequences of such actions by the Finnish authorities would lie with Helsinki. If necessary, the Russian side will take retaliatory measures,” says a message on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In the West, on the contrary, they said that the seizure of Russian property in Finland was the right step. This opinion was expressed on Yle by members of the European Parliament Maria Ohisalo, Aura Salla and Sebastian Tynkkynen

“Although this may cause some backlash from Russia, Finland is used to Russia always threatening us in various ways and this is nothing new for us. Finland is also very well prepared for various scenarios,” Tyunkkynen noted in particular.

Possible consequences of the conflict

The head of the Finnish Bailiff Service, Aki Virtanen, made it clear that seizures of various property of the Russian Federation in Finland may continue in the near future, and court proceedings threaten to drag on for years.

“The applicants, a group of Ukrainian companies, demanded compulsory execution of the arrest. Enforcement is based on a decision of the Helsinki District Court. Enforcement will be carried out by a bailiff. The starting point is that the bailiff must ensure all the applicant’s demands. The work will continue,” Virtanen said.

For her part, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova emphasized that any unlawful decisions of the Finnish authorities regarding Russian property in Finland will not go unanswered. According to her, now we are talking about the fact that the Finnish judicial authorities have officially notified the representative office of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Goszagranobstvostvo” in Finland about the seizure of a building owned by the Russian Federation and managed by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, which is located in Helsinki at Vattunimenkatu 21. “At the same time, in This notification does not provide any grounds for such a decision,” she clarified.

As Zakharova noted, regarding other Russian real estate objects in Finland, including the land plot in Helsinki on which the RCSC is located, and the arrest of which is reported in the Finnish media, “the Russian side has not yet received official notifications about the imposition of restrictive measures on them “

What will happen to the House of Finland on Bolshaya Konyushennaya?

If Russia wants to respond symmetrically and decides to confiscate Finnish property, there are few options – it will take the House of Finland, since it is not under diplomatic protection, fears Kari Liuhto, a professor at the Turku Higher School of Economics, whose opinion is quoted by the Yle news service.

It is also noted that this building “was the center of the unification of Finns in St. Petersburg back in the 19th century, when more than 20 thousand people lived in the city.” In recent years, the House has represented the language and culture of Finland in the Russian Federation, and also helped Finnish companies seeking to enter the Russian market.

“The House of Finland is a unique complex of premises and services, as well as a special partner network that creates conditions for successful activities of companies in Russia. We provide modern meeting rooms for rent for events of various formats, work spaces, as well as residences for cultural and artistic figures,” it says official website.

Currently, several tenants remain in the building at Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street, building 8, but their list no longer includes the Finnish Institute in St. Petersburg and the Finnish Primary School, which were previously located there.

Mikhail Makarov