Propagandist Konstantin Mikhailovich Lebedev, known as Kosti Heiskanen

 

This writing is a kind of cross-section into the public and to some extent private self of Konstantin Mikhailovich Lebedev, aka Kosti Heiskanen. The person whom we have come to know in Finland as Kosti Heiskanen, producing war propaganda and propaganda for Russia. In my writing, I do not approach him through any single episode, but rather this is a compilation – a cross-section – into his career. The exception is individual excerpts from Heiskanen’s social media accounts, which can be considered his more personal statements. However, I will not take a position on whether they are true or just part of the story. For the sake of clarity, in this article I will use the name Kosti Heiskanen, which is better known to Finns, instead of Lebedev. The article is based on my Finnish-language blog “Propagandisti Konstantin Mihailovitš Lebedev, tunnetaan myös nimellä Kosti Heiskanen”.

Konstantin Mikhailovich Lebedev, aka propagandist Kosti Heiskanen.

In the weeks and months following Russia’s major invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many “Kremlin echoes” spread the Russian narrative and blatant lies on various social media platforms and in other arenas as well. In the summer of 2022, Kosti Heiskanen appeared as the “Voice of Finland” on the state-owned Rossiya-24 (Russian: Россия-24) “news channel”, accusing the Finnish press of inciting hatred of Russia. (1) If he had previously appeared in any major media in Russia, it had passed by the eyes and ears of many other people who followed Russian war news or propaganda, including me. However, such a person could not have appeared in the Russian media out of thin air: who is Kosti Heiskanen?

He wasn’t exactly a “tabula rasa”. Namely, a detail from Heiskanen’s past that touched us Finns was found in an instant in 2009. In a Yleisradio news report on the kidnapping of Paavo Salonen’s son Anton to Russia, it was reported that journalist Kosti Heiskanen had helped Anton’s father, Paavo Salonen, in his search for his son in Russia. (2)

At that time, child abductions were in the headlines, and specifically the abduction of children to Russia. The previous summer, Paavo Salonen’s son Anton had been secretly brought from Russia to Finland. Anton’s mother, Rimma Salonen, had kidnapped her son to Russia in March 2008. (3)

A certain Johan Bäckman also participated in the activities, giving statements on behalf of Anton’s mother, Rimma Salonen. Similarly, Anton’s father Paavo Salonen was assisted by Kosti Heiskanen, who was introduced as a journalist. In this context, it is worth noting that Heiskanen assisted Paavo Salonen in the search already during 2008. In June 2008, Heiskanen, introduced as a journalist for Independent Press, gave a statement to Ilta-Sanomat after Paavo’s son had been found. (4)

Independent Press Oy (the company has ceased operations) was a publishing company in Lappeenranta that published a Russian and Finnish-language magazine, which, among other things, published articles about the alleged hardships faced by Russians in Finland. The magazine, Focus, published by the company was edited by Kosti Heiskanen. (5)

In less than two decades, Heiskanen’s path has taken him from being Bäckman’s opponent to being on the same side of the field, with both of them participating in Russia’s propaganda war against the West today. Or are the events of the past just a cleverly constructed theater? However, it cannot be denied that Heiskanen’s own life also contains episodes that make it possible to collect “incriminating material” and use it to kompromat. But before I delve into Kosti Heiskanen’s current activities as a propagandist, it is worth briefly reviewing Heiskanen’s background, even though it has been reviewed in an article published in The Insider in June 2024. (6)

Kosti Heiskanen, also known as Konstantin Mikhailovich Lebedev, is a descendant of Finnish communists who emigrated to the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Heiskanen was born in April 1978. According to leaked information from the Russian passport system published by Pointmedia (Russian: Точка), he did not change his name until 2004. (7) Heiskanen’s own story about his background is consistent with the above. In his VK update (December 2024), he says the following:

“---I have never hidden this, and always when giving interviews I explained that I am a descendant of Finnish immigrants, Karelians, Vepsians and Germans. During the Soviet period, many had Russian first and last names, including a large number of Russian Germans. This bullying began when I posted a picture on social media of starting a family at the age of 20 and how my children - - - asked me to take their last names.---” (8 – note: text translated into English by the author of the text.)

According to Heiskanen himself, he lived in Finland from 1996 to 2012, in Lappeenranta and Helsinki, as well as in Sipoo. In 2012, he mentions that he moved to Berlin, Germany.

Heiskanen has lived in Germany until spring 2022, working in the tourism industry. A company was registered in his name for the tourism industry in Berlin in February 2012. The company (World Travel Consulting Panorama Tours GmbH) has since ceased operations. Heiskanen’s name can also be associated with another company, NORVISTA TRAVEL & TRADE GmbH, which was registered in October 2018. (9) It is interesting to note that the first-mentioned company also had an office in Finland – at Tehtaankatu 12, Helsinki. Rustravel Oy, which was founded 23 years ago by Oleg Gergalo, operates at the same address. Gergalo’s name came up a couple of years ago when the Russian Rossiya24 channel, based on FSB sources, claimed that he was providing information to the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, Suojelupoliisi in Finland. According to a communications expert for the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, this is a case of Russian information influence.

Rustravel Oy has been mentioned numerous times over the past decade, including by Johan Bäckman, when he recommended using a travel agency for visa matters when traveling to Russia, or to the territories occupied by Russia from Ukraine, or when enlisting in Russian proxy forces in the war in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014. My text ”Fennomatkat Pietarissa – viihdettä sivustaseuraajille” also contains observations about Rustravel’s activities. However, let’s return to Heiskanen’s “tourism-filled” ramble.

According to Heiskanen, he fled Germany to Russia in April 2022 and already on June 1, 2022, he appeared on the state-owned Rossiya-24 news channel accusing the Finnish press of inciting hatred against Russia: “THIS IS HOW THE FINNISH PRESS IS WHIP UP HATE AGAINST RUSSIA.”

From being unknown to being on a state-owned television news channel in a few weeks – now someone might say that “there’s something rotten here…”.

Since then, we have had to watch Kosti Heiskanen’s appearances on social media platforms, as well as in various Russian or pro-Russian media outlets, spreading propaganda with excessive force. Heiskanen has visited the areas occupied by Russia from Ukraine several times. He has also visited cities destroyed by the Russians, such as Mariupol and Avdiivka. In Avdiivka, he accused Finnish and Swedish volunteers of looting the city without providing any evidence. (10) At this very moment, he is touring Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, making accusations and repeating the propaganda story that Russia has been cultivating for over a decade about atrocities committed by Ukrainians and continuous bombings by Ukraine, which have been shown to be disinformation and lies multiple times. (11)

Unfortunately, it is likely that some Finns will also believe these stories, but the real target audience for Heiskanen's reports is in Russia. Since the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula, Russia has resorted to various foreign commentators, experts (or people presented as such), as well as observers and activists, whose primary task is to bring credibility to the message conveyed by Russia. Kosti Heiskanen is also presented to the Russian public not only as a journalist but as a well-known journalist and civic activist, which he is not.

If we ignore his own media projects, Kosti Heiskanen’s most visible journalistic activity is connected to Russian media and Finnish counter-media. He has commented on the situation in Finland for a very diverse group of Russian media. Among these media are Tsargrad TV, founded by the Orthodox oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev (12), and Patriot Media Group, which was part of the “empire” of the late Yevgeny Prigozhin. According to Novaya Gazeta, Malofeyev was involved in creating Russia’s Ukraine memorandum in the last decade. (13) He was also a financier and supporter of Igor Girkin during the “Russian Spring” when the war in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014, when troops led by Girkin began a military operation in Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Kosti Heiskanen as a guest on the Tsargrad tv-channel.

Kosti Heiskanen performing at the funeral of PMC Wagner militant Dmitry Menshikov, who liquidated in Ukraine, at the Beloostrovskaya cemetery  in St. Petersburg with the Finnish flag in December 2022.(14) 

Based on Heiskanen’s activities, I would conclude that unless he was an operator for some Russian security agency, he has good contacts in such an organization. When a man of Russian background who had fought in Ukraine in the ranks of PMC Wagner “defected” to Finland last summer (2025), (15, 16) Heiskanen was able to tell the names of the fighter in question, Zaslan Mustahanov aka Yevgeny Shpartun, and that he had a long criminal record already at the end of June. (17)

At that time, the Finnish Border Guard had only announced that a person had illegally crossed the border into Finland from Russia. Heiskanen did not get the name of the PMC Wagner militant from Finland, as I understand he was the original source of the militant’s names in Russia as well.

Heiskanen’s other activities, such as moving around the territories occupied by Russia from Ukraine, visiting military units, and appearances in Russian media, also indirectly prove that he is acting “on behalf of someone.”

In Heiskanen’s “play” we seem to have progressed to the “Death Threats” act, which he has told Ria Novosti about, and which are now being spread in the Russian propaganda media. (18) This may be just one episode among the episodes that are being fed to the media. Similar to the years-long conflict between him and Janus Putkonen, where harsh words are used to bark and threaten, but words are not followed by action. “There is another side to every story” to this story, i.e. there may be a dispute between individuals in the background, which goes back to the events of the Fennomatkat trip to St. Petersburg, but I am very wary of everything that is being said and done in public now. We will have to wait for the end of the play!

 

Marko

 

Sources:

1. https://x.com/HeiskanenKosti/status/1532050301955497986 

2. https://yle.fi/a/3-5909159

3. https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000123744.html

4. https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000134240.html

5. https://www.hs.fi/ihmisia/art-2000004252179.html

6. The Insider: Heiskanen outed as Lebedev: the fake Finn who serves Russian propaganda.

7. https://pointmedia.io/story/65fa9170b126bc7ae0c3dc2c

8. https://vk.com/wall747478706_2907

9. https://www.northdata.de/Heiskanen,+Kosti+Mikael,+Berlin/kgr

10. https://istories.media/en/stories/2024/05/15/rossotrudnichestvo/

11. https://x.com/HeiskanenKosti/status/1982837828699722232

12. https://cyberdefence24.pl/cyberbezpieczenstwo/rosyjska-dziennikarska-matrioszka-konstantin-lebiediew-alias-kosti-heiskanen

13. https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/vladimir-putinin-ukraina-strategian-valmisti-vahan-tunnettu-oligarkki-32663/#6a6aad62

14. https://www.is.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000009323533.html

15. https://raja.fi/-/laiton-rajanylitys-17.6.2025-venajalta-suomeen-kiteella

16. https://yle.fi/a/74-20171865

17. https://x.com/HeiskanenKosti/status/1939386634006327501

Heiskanen’s Facebook profile update on June 29, 2025, is more detailed than his update in X.

18. https://riamediabank.ru/media/9028133.html

The text itself contains links to background material. In the text, I have also utilized Kosti Heiskanen’s personal social media accounts on VK and Facebook.

The wish of an “ordinary” Russian living in Finland: The media in the West should also talk about the war in Ukraine from Russia’s perspective

 

This text is based on my Finnish-language blog “The wish of an ‘ordinary Russian’: The media in the West should also talk about the war in Ukraine from Russia’s point of view” (Fin. ”Tavallisen venäläisen” toive: Median pitäisi lännessä kertoa Ukrainan sodasta myös Venäjän näkökulma), which I published on April 30, 2023. For the information of the reader, I have expanded the article with regards to the observations about Finland. The reader must note that the Russians living in Finland used as examples have lived in our country for years or even decades, so their actions supporting Russia and sacrificing Russia cannot be explained by the fact that they have only lived in Finland for a short time. In fact, some of them have previously been highlighted in the media as Russians well integrated into Finland.

The reader must note that the Russians I used as examples in text, have lived in Finland for years or even decades, so their actions supporting Russia and sacrificing Russia cannot be explained by the fact that they have only lived in Finland for a short time. In fact, some of them have previously been highlighted in the media as Russians well integrated into Finland.

 

The wish of an ‘ordinary Russian’: The media in the West should also talk about the war in Ukraine from Russia’s point of view.

From the moment when Russia expanded its war in Ukraine in February 2022, we in Finland have been repeatedly reminded that this is Vladimir Putin’s war, the Russian regime’s war against Ukraine. As Russians flee under the threat of mobilization to their neighbouring countries and through them even further to safety from the mobilization carried out by the state apparatus, it was repeatedly claimed to us in the Finnish media that opponents of Vladimir Putin and opponents of the war are fleeing Russia because of the fear of being sent to the front. At most, the argument was true that these people – mainly younger men – were running away from being sent to the front. What went unnoticed was that these “deserters” were not necessarily opponents of Vladimir Putin’s regime or even the war.

In reality, most of those who escaped from Russia were not ready to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of a failed “special operation”. I suspect, however, that an unusually large number of this large group would have gladly enjoyed the benefits provided by the Russian administration – perhaps even enriched themselves to some extent. They were perhaps drunk on the national euphoria created by the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula and felt proud that Russia was no longer humiliated!

They ignored the fact that thousands of Russians had already died in the war that Russia had been waging in eastern Ukraine since the spring of 2014. They also didn’t care that their country had drifted into totalitarianism – it was enough for them that money came in, they could go abroad and find foreign luxury products in Moscow or St. Petersburg. What about the fact that the majority of Russians could only dream of such things, that millions of Russians did not even have an indoor toilet and running water. So, were they just innocent bystander victims that a brutal regime tried to send to the slaughter like sheep, or were they cogs in the machinery that allowed Putin’s regime to continue and evolve in an even more totalitarian direction? Let’s not forget the German theologian Martin Niemöller’s poem “First they came ...” (German: Zuerst Kamen sie ...) when we think about questions of responsibility.  

What if we here in the West were a little naive when we let them out of Russia, at the same time we painted a picture of them that even the blind saw was a false lie?

 

In my writing, I do not directly answer the questions I posed above, but I believe that my text shows what I think about the innocence or guilt of the Russians (citizens), as well as what I think about the reactions and actions of our decision-makers here in the West.

Naturally, a nation of more than 140 million inhabitants can accommodate many different opinions, there are people who oppose the war – for one reason or another, as there are also those who support the war. From the point of view of this writing, it is not significant what the reason is for opposing the war, for example. In my opinion, based on whether a person supports or opposes the war in Russia, it cannot be directly concluded whether he supports Vladimir Putin’s regime or not; nor how he sees the future of Russia – as a totalitarian state or something else.

In Russia, there are plenty of different groups that support imperialism and resort to violence, which view the Russian regime with disdain – even negatively. On the other hand, Vladimir Putin’s administration has tolerated numerous extremist groups, such as the Russian Imperial Movement, because the administration has been able to use them to promote its own policies in Russia and outside the country’s borders. These groups have also been tolerated in Russia, as long as their activities do not threaten Putin’s regime. It is a kind of social contract, but nothing guarantees that the Russian administration will follow such (silent) social contracts. With the extensive war of aggression against Ukraine, the Kremlin broke one such so-called agreement with the Russian middle class.

In the West, we also have a somewhat idealistic image of some Russian opposition politicians, due in part to the fact that these politicians and their support groups, such as Alexei Navalny and his supporters, have fallen into the teeth of the regime. The lives of these politicians have been threatened – they have even been trying to assassinate, and their supporters have been persecuted. So, it’s no wonder that we see these politicians and their supporters standing in the same crowd as us. At this point, we are perhaps a little too naive in imagining that there can be no contradictions between us and them. Regardless of my statement, I definitely consider the popular politics that Vladimir Putin's regime was not opposed strongly enough in the West to be wrong, because “even if Putin is authoritarian, his successor can be even worse”.

Still, millions of Russians, whatever they think of Vladimir Putin, see, and feel that Russia is much bigger than its current geographical borders. They also support the imperialist policies of their country! This kind of thinking also manifests itself in Russians abroad, which erupts on the surface as grumpy behaviour or endless victimization, where Russians see themselves as victims who are treated badly by the West. Many of them lack the ability and desire to critically evaluate not only their own actions, but also the actions of their country! Which can also be seen in the fact that they do not take responsibility for their own actions, in fact many Russians are not even able to understand the consequences of their actions! Retreating from responsibility, stating “I’m not a political person” is no longer enough. Silence is also an act, a choice, which is preceded by the decision to be silent! Not taking a stand is therefore a choice, commitment!

Former hockey star Aleksandr Barkov senior will not be able to skate from responsibility with his statement, which he uttered in an interview with Ilta-Sanomat on January 1, 2023.

“What do you think about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine?

– I don’t want to go terribly deep, but I’m against all the wars that happen in the world, he says and stops.

- - -

Barkov doesn’t feel that he has the expertise to evaluate world politics, but he clearly is in his sorrows.

– Yes, it's [war] a bad thing. I want the best for the world. It is up to the politicians to resolve these issues.” (1)

Barkov was not asked to take a position on world politics, but to give his opinion on the criminal war of aggression, in which Russia is bombing civilian targets, and in which its soldiers are torturing and murdering Ukrainians. He couldn’t do that; he chose to be silent!

While Aleksandr Barkov prefers to remain silent rather than take a stand, the Russian-born municipal politician from Lappeenranta, Ekaterina ‘Katja’ Marova (Left Alliance; Vasemmistoliitto) is not content to just remain silent, but she repeats the Russian narrative in her statements, hoping for news from the media that would also report Russia’s views on the background of the war, such as the fear of NATO expansion. (2) Underlying such a wish must be, at least on some level, the belief that Russia’s irrational fear of a NATO attack on Russia is correct.

At the point when Ekaterina Marova gives a hundred thumbs up to a social media post that questions the guilt of the Russians for the Bucha massacre last year, then we have already stepped over the border of conventionality. Bucha was de-occupied in March-April 2022, at a time when Marova commented with a thumbs-up that the evidence of Russia’s guilt was crushing. It was no longer about individual civilian casualties – deaths caused by warfare – but mass executions, murders of prisoners, suspected war crimes, etc. Marova confirms the narrative spread by Russian propaganda about Bucha’s staging, instead Sofia Kazakov, who was also a parliamentary candidate of Valta kuuluu kansalle-party, and has a Russian background, openly spreads Russian propaganda and disinformation as well as anti-Semitism.

And as my readers may have noticed, the “ordinary Russian” in the title of my blog is a person of Russian background living in Finland, who has lived in a world saturated with Western media messages, but still wishes to hear the Kremlin’s narrative through. Perhaps it is also appropriate to ask what has been done wrong here in Finland? And have the Finnish media offered enough up-to-date information to Russians who think like Marova and challenged them to examine events critically?

A Russian living in Finland who thinks like Marova does not come as a surprise to me. Apparently, they have integrated into Finland, but their spiritual home is not in Finland! They don’t necessarily seek information from the Finnish (Western) media, as many turn a blind eye to the actions of their administration, because it makes life easier here in Finland in their society. And when enough people do this, it silences even more gravel voices (opponents of the regime). In the end, a significant part chooses to remain silent and be an apolitical person, in which case it is easier for a small, loud, and aggressive group to control positions, opinions supporting the Russian regime, etc.

Russians living in Finland have also been guilty of harassing Ukrainians and spreading deliberate lies, e.g., a year ago in spring a woman of Russian background who worked as an entrepreneur in the healthcare sector spread lies about the bad behaviour of Ukrainian refugees. (3) The woman in question, who works as an entrepreneur in Helsinki, did not actually work at the refugee centre in Juuka, where she claimed to have worked and met Ukrainian refugees.

A year ago, a car parade was organized in Finland by the Suomalais-venäläinen RuFi association in honour of Victory Day. (4) In the past, the RuFi association has organized marches of the Immortal Regiment in Finland, for the first time on May 9, 2017. In an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, the president of the association, Daria Skippari-Smirnov, defended the civilian casualties caused by the Russian war of aggression, while in the same interview spreading Kremlin propaganda about the bombings carried out by Ukraine –

“Of course, when there's a war, the bomb might hit somewhere else. It cannot be avoided…”. (5)

Before the car parade a year ago, a WhatsApp group of Finno-Russians discussed bringing weapons to the car parade, the same group also incited hatred against Ukrainians. (6) According to my information, there will be no march of the Immortal Regiment in Finland this year, just like no motorcade. On the other hand, this follows the line defined by the Kremlin, as the marches of the Immortal Regiment are banned in Russia as well.

For Finno-Russians or Russians living in Finland, participation in Russia’s war in Ukraine has its own chapter. Some of them have enlisted in the volunteer forces provided by Russia since 2014, but I also know of individual Russians who have returned to Russia after February 24, 2022, with the sole purpose of enlisting in the Russian armed forces or the forces of other security organizations in Russia. I will return to this theme and observations later this year.

In my writing, I have discussed the theme of the collective responsibility of Russians for the war in Ukraine, through examples created by Russians abroad. Similar examples can also be found in other European countries, such as Germany. (7)

What about those who live in Russia? At this point, it would be extremely easy for me to use opinion polls as evidence, which prove that Vladimir Putin still has solid support in Russia, from which it can be concluded that the war (in Russian terms, a special operation) still has solid support in the country. This despite the fact that since February 24, 2022, Russia has killed tens of thousands of its soldiers in Ukraine – with the total number of fallen and dead and missing already well over a hundred thousand soldiers. In this case, I see opinion polls as secondary evidence, even though they prove that the majority of Russians stand behind the actions of their government. Just like they’re behind the atrocities and crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

On the other hand, the spiritual atmosphere in Russia, as well as among many Russians abroad, shows that introspection has not been practiced, as well as no self-criticism – which is also supported by the examples from Finland.

Social media platforms reveal in their own harsh way how “ordinary Russians” relate to the atrocities of their compatriots in Ukraine. In this case, it must be considered that commentators from different groups form a one-dimensional sample of the entire nation. Millions of Russians do not have the opportunity to access the Internet regularly, on the other hand, this group is mainly dependent on the programs of Russian state television channels, so it is more than likely that they sympathize with the war as well as with the brutal murder of Ukrainians. So, I believe that the photo collage below with explanations describes the attitude of Russians towards their countrymen in Ukraine crimes committed quite well.

You can find quite a lot of messages from Russians like the examples in the photo collage on Telegram, YouTube, and many other social media channels. The messages convey an image of a country and people that are morally degenerate and corrupt!

The arrogance and contemptuous behaviour of the Russians and those who support them no longer even amazes me. A little over a year ago, I imagined that this kind of behaviour would slowly fade away, but still this group of Russians behaving like jerks is the one who controls the space while other Russians stay out (or are content to be silent). The Russians also seem to get energy for their actions from their ability to “play victims” and see the reason for the bad treatment of Russia and Russians only in other countries and peoples. The fact that the state is totalitarian and the punishments for opponents of the regime are long is also not a defense for the Russians. Nor is it that, being apolitical individuals, they protect their loved ones (or even want to maintain their relationship with them).

These do not serve as a defense, because we have seen Russians go to resistance individually or in groups, the bravest have taken up arms and gone to war against their countrymen. There are also critics of the Russian regime in Finland, some of the Russians living in Finland are very active on social media, fighting against the lies of the Kremlin, so the explanation “I am an apolitical person” is nothing more than an excuse to remain silent.

If Russia intends to one day return to the ranks of civilized nations, the Russians collectively have a considerable period of introspection and review of their own actions - and not only their own, but the entire country’s past actions ahead of them is a critical review and reconciliation! Without this, Russia should be kept isolated until there is a will to critically examine the past and to atone for its actions.

 

Marko

 

Sources: 

1. https://www.is.fi/jaakiekko/art-2000009293343.html 

2. https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000009239132.html 

3. https://yle.fi/a/3-12450742 

4. https://yle.fi/a/3-12436052 

5. https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008779634.html 

6. https://putinintrollit.fi/2022/05/05/suomenvenalaisten-whatsapp-ryhmassa-keskustellaan-aseiden-tuomisesta-venaja-mieliseen-kulkueeseen-ja-lietsotaan-vihaa-ukrainalaisia-vastaan/ 

7. https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-pro-russia-rallies-discrimination/31795983.html 

Original blog in Finnish: ”Tavallisen venäläisen” toive: Median pitäisi lännessä kertoa Ukrainan sodasta myös Venäjän näkökulma.

RuFi ry – part of Russian propaganda and influence in Finland. 

#StandWithUkraine 

RuFi ry – part of Russian propaganda and influence in Finland

 

Finland is called a promised country for associations because their establishment threshold is low, and associations have a long history in our country. Thus, the associations also operate as a channel of influence and recruitment channel for state organizations, which is also known in Russia.

Russia seeks to influence Finns in numerous ways, one such route being registered associations and groups founded by civic activists. I will briefly review the RuFi ry, i.e., Suomalais-venäläinen RuFi ry (the Finnish-Russian RuFi ry) and its activities in recent years. (Note: ry = rekisteröity yhdistys, registered association).

RuFi ry rose to the headlines for the first time in the spring of 2017 when organizing the first “Immortal Regiment-March” in Finland. (1) More than a hundred Finns and Russians living in Finland took part in the march. The photographs also showed the presence of individual activists from the Suomi Ensin movement, which belongs to the right wing. Marco de Wit, the founder and those time leader of the Suomi Ensin movement, visited the occupied Eastern Ukraine in July 2016 with a Finnish propaganda group.

Prior to this spring’s “car parade” RuFi organized a total of three immortal regiment marches, in 2017 and 2018, and in 2019. During the coronavirus pandemic, RuFi did not organize an immortal regiment march, anyway, between the beginning of 2020 and the end of 2021, the organization lived a quiet life until in December 2021, the group became again active on social media. After Russia attacked Ukraine on several fronts on February 24, 2022, RuFi’s activity on social media increased. So, the car parade held on May 8 was a natural continuation of this activation. According to a Facebook article published by the organizers of the “car parade,” the procession supports Russia “in its difficult struggle against Nazism and fascism and Russophobia”. (2) In practice, the car parade was a demonstration of support for Russian imperialism and the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

There is a very wide right of demonstration in Finland, due to which it was not possible for the authorities to ban the car parade in advance, because the organizer was an association that is not banned or whose activities have not been restricted in any way. Demonstration in Finland does not require a permit, it is enough for the organizer to report the protest to the police.

Photo from the Immortal Regiment march (car parade) of Helsinki from May 2022, photographer unknown.

RuFi’s previous actions

As I wrote, RuFi ry has organized the March of the Immortal Regiment three times, in 2017 and 2018 and 2019. More than a hundred Russians living in Finland and their supporters took part in the first march of the immortal regiment, and the third march on May 9, 2019, was attended by more than 150 Russians living in Finland as well as their supporters. Pirkko Turpeinen-Saari, a well-known SKDL (Suomen Kansan Demokraattinen Liitto, English Finnish People's Democratic League) politician and former Member of Parliament, also took part in the third march. Turpeinen-Saari has also become known as a contender for the massacre of Srebrenica by the Serbs and an inventor of various conspiracy theories. (3) In her view, Srebrenica is a United States propaganda operation. Daria Skippari-Smirnov, the then chairman of the association, was responsible for organizing the third march, as well as previous marches. According to Skippari-Smirnov, the chairman of RuFi ry is currently a man named Heorhi Mirashnichenka, who according to the register of associations is the vice-chairman. (4)

The Immortal Regiment march in may 2019, Skippari-Smirnov in a brown coat and garrison cap in her head.*

In addition to the marches of the immortal regiment, RuFi and its prominent actors, such as Daria Skippari-Smirnov and Marina Muhonen, have also participated in other events in support of Russia and its imperialist policies. Such as the opening ceremony of the “Representation” of the Donetsk “People’s Republic” established in Helsinki together with the members of Suomi-Novorossija-Seura (Eng. Finland-Novorossiya Society) from the end of 2017. Prior to that, there was the “Embassy of Novorossiya” in Finland, which was replaced by that embassy.

However, readers should be aware that this “representation”, like its predecessor, does not have the status of an official embassy. Finland has never recognized the “people's republics” of Donetsk or “people's republics” Luhansk, nor has it given official status to their “embassies”, even though the people behind the “embassies” claim so. So, the nature of the “embassy” of Novorossiya in Finland as well as the “representation” of the “People’s Republic” of Donetsk has been clearly propagandistic and disinformative. The out-of-date website continues to share disinformation and direct unfair allegations against our authorities. (5)

Declaration of the Friends of the Donetsk “People’s Republic”, Daria Skippari-Smirnov and Marina Muhonen from RuFi also as signatories.

Johan Bäckman and Daria Skippari-Smirnov (RuFi ry) in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, March 2018.

During the so-called presidential elections in Russia in March 2018, the Finnish delegation traveled to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. In addition to Johan Bäckman, the travel group also included Daria Skippari-Smirnov and a few other Finns. The trip can be described as propagandistic in content, marked by the fact that, at the same time, Russia was holding illegal presidential elections on the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Finns, Johan Bäckman participated in these so-called elections as an “election observer”, a few other members of the Finnish group visited “polling stations” at the time. (6) In addition to Daria Skippari-Smirnov, Chairman of the RuFi, at least Marjaliisa Siira, an active member of the Rauhanpuolustajat, reported on her visits to the “polling stations”. At the same time, Siira spread a lot of disinformation and propaganda.

In addition to the above, Eero Hult, who were candidates for the Finnish municipal elections, Svetlana Mustonen and Ludmila Odintsova took part in public appearances during the visit. The delegation’s most prominent proposals included the opening of a direct flight connection between Helsinki and Simferopol and the proposal to establish a Finnish-Russian business and cultural centre on the occupied Peninsula. These proposals, like the others, are mainly part of theatre and propaganda, so there is no need to give them more space in this context.

On 19 March 2019, Ukraine imposed sanctions on private individuals pursuant to a decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, at which time sanctions were also imposed on Daria Skippari-Smirnov, chairman of the RuFi ry. One reason was her actions on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. At that time, in addition to Skippari-Smirnov, sanctions were imposed on Johan Bäckman, Janus Putkonen, Jarmo Ekman and Jon Hellevig (deceased 26 May 2020, Moscow), as well as Kai Paananen and Oleg Usachov, a Russian living in Finland. (7)

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, RuFi’s representatives prominently participated in various events held in Finland, which were united by the dissemination of Russian disinformation and its attempts to influence abroad. A particularly prominent speaker on RuFi was chairman Daria Skippari-Smirnov, who, in addition to her interviews with the Russian media, gave a presentation at the Hybrid Wars and Finland discussion event in Helsinki in March 2019. The discussion was organized and moderated by Johan Bäckman. At the same time, the event was the launch of the book “Hybrid Wars” wrote by Russian professor and political scientist Igor Panarin. Since that work, Panarin has published at least one more book via Johan Bäckman Publications’. Given the current situation, we can say that Panarin does not have at least the gifts of a fortune teller.

At that discussion, Skippari-Smirnov's presentation was about the (human) rights of the Russians and the war on information – the topic is interesting in that the (human) rights of the Russians are being trampled on today, if anywhere, in Russia. This presentation, as well as the event, must be seen in its context, it was nothing more than the dissemination of disinformation combined with an attempt to destabilize our civil society, as is clear from the performers and topics. Many of the performers participate in various groups disseminating conspiracy theories, such as Jarmo Ekman, or in counter-media and social media projects that try to break social peace, such as Juha Korhonen, the topic of his presentation was “lies in the mainstream media and blackmailing the free media”. Korhonen sees traditional media as false, which tarnishes counter-media.

RuFi has strongly supported the Russian war in Ukraine even before the large-scale offensive that began on February 24, 2022. In addition to the previously signed declaration of friends of the Donetsk “People’s Republic”, this is reflected in the dissemination of propaganda and disinformation, as well as in participation in events that support the goals of the Russian regime. As an association, RuFi had time to be active on social media for years, as it also previously had a website (rufi.fi) whose domain has now been taken over by an outsider and which conveys its greetings to the Russians through the web pages. The Russian embassy has also taken note of the association’s activism in the past, although otherwise the embassy – in public – kept a certain distance from the association’s activities. The car parade in May this year was at least morally supported by the Russian embassy. (8)

Certificate of Merit for Daria Skippari-Smirnov, signed by Nikolai Zemtsov, Member of Parliament, Russia.

I consider it very probable that the activation of RuFi is due, at least in part, to the activities and messages conveyed by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which have also been passed on by the Russian Embassy in Helsinki. In the example (picture below), the Russian Embassy in Finland asks you to report conspiracies, discrimination and hatred against Russians to your tweet email address. The same message has been passed on by the Russian Foreign Ministry – their communication also speaks directly of “Russophobia”. A fashion term that the Russian administration deliberately and intentionally misuses to suppress objective and appropriate criticism of the regime. A term used to stigmatize critics of the Russian regime.

In addition to the visible influence, RuFi activists participate in the WhatsApp group of Russians in Finland, which was hotly debated before the May car ride. Screenshots of the group’s discussions show that the Russian-speaking group is spreading Kremlin hate propaganda against Ukrainians and inciting violence. A group of about 80 people was formed in mid-April and has been named the Autokulkue. (9) One of the most active members of the WhatsApp group is Daria Skippari-Smirnov, former chairman of RuFi.

The discussion in the group follows the same lines as Russian state propaganda. In the discussion of the WhatsApp group, Ukrainians are also being demonized and de-humanized. The group is even proposing to bring shovels (in the car ride) so that the Ukrainians can be buried. Even such writing causes nothing but laughter in the group. (10)

This post is largely based on a blog “RuFi ry – Venäjän pienimuotoista vaikuttamista Suomessa”, I wrote in Finnish earlier in May.

 

Marko 

 

Sources:

1. https://seura.fi/asiat/ajankohtaista/video-voitonpaiva-helsingissa-pursui-neuvostonostalgiaa-ja-venalaisia-kansanlauluja/ 

2. https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12429485 

3. https://www.turpeinen-saari.net/blogi/2015/07/10/424 

4. https://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/art-2000008779634.html 

5. https://dnrhelsinki.com/ 

6. https://www.fakeobservers.org/biased-observation-database/details/baeckman-johan.html 

7. https://www.president.gov.ua/storage/j-files-storage/00/65/10/26ff8d8c25d2081f4e3666cba71bddf9_1553072270.pdf 

8. https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-12429485 

9. https://putinintrollit.fi/2022/05/05/suomenvenalaisten-whatsapp-ryhmassa-keskustellaan-aseiden-tuomisesta-venaja-mieliseen-kulkueeseen-ja-lietsotaan-vihaa-ukrainalaisia-vastaan/ 

10. https://putinintrollit.fi/2022/05/12/vierasblogi-mita-keskustelut-suomenvenalaisten-whatsapp-ryhmassa-kertovat-venajan-kulttuurista-ja-propagandasta/ 

*: Photo by Marko Enqvist. 

Twitter – ”Mission accomplished”

Social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, in their speeches say they are fighting against trolling and disinformation (fake news). Reality and festivities rarely seem to meet, this was seen once again when Twitter froze – without telling no reason – Ukrainian @loogunda twitter account.

Screen shots by @oldloogund account.

@loogunda has been sending thousands of tweets to Twitter from the war zone in East-Ukraine: the war that Russia itself started. He has translated Ukrainian and Russian tweets to English. Personally, I find his work extremely important, it facilitates my own knowledge acquisition, in addition to being able to compare some of the information he shares with information I received from my own channels.

However, @loogunda is not the only one who has come - for one reason or another - to the "punitive action". In addition to @loogunda, other Ukrainian accounts have been frozen, and the @SovietSergey account parodying Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is one of the frozen accounts. 

This is not the first time that the Ukrainians have been subjected to punitive measures without any obvious cause. During the ongoing war, dozens - possibly even hundreds of - active account accounts have been frozen without a well-deserved reason. I remember the episode of the winter 2015-2016, when over a dozen or more Ukrainian accounts or accounts criticizing the Russian administration were frozen - part of them lost in Twitter. And this ongoing campaign is not the first to be against on @loogunda. 

While punctual and active information divisors are being punished - and threatened by pro-Russian trolls - users who sympathize with Russia's regime will continue harassment and trolling. I reported by a number of the following pro-Russian user @MarcoEnqvist70 messages on Twitter - none of the reporting does not lead to anything. That user is trying to make every possible inconvenience to me, starting with the username.

Screen shots by @MarcoEnqvist70 account.

According to Twitter, the above tweets does not give cause for action - and not tweet compound below.

Combine different tweets by @MarcoEnqvist70, some pictures eliminate.

Taking the latest episode, I look like Twitter's "fight" against trolling and spreading disinformation, it looks like a series of failures. I suspect that Twitter does not have a real desire to intervene, as it would inevitably lead to the need to tackle - with a tough hand – the trolling and spreading of hate speech by Russian state officials, so the actions of Twitter are comparable to "word sentences": words but no deeds...

Commenting on the Russian Embassy in Great Britain poisoning on spy Sergei Skripal.

To the end – sarcastically – Twitter's representatives for the Russians: "Mission accomplished…”

Marko