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. 

There is no discussion in Finland about our citizens enlisted in Russian forces and their participation in the war in Ukraine

 

This blog is a translation of my blog “Suomessa ei käydä kriittistä keskustelua Venäjän proxyihin värväytyneistä kansalaisistamme” (in English: “There is no critical discussion in Finland about our citizens enlisted in Russian proxies”) with small additions. The original blog was written on June 4, 2021. The topicality of the topic in the European context, combined with the silence of the topic in Finland, served as a stimulus for translating the blog into English.

Once again, the court has spoken in a European state and the accused has been sentenced to imprisonment for terrorism and for belonging to a terrorist organization. This time it happened in the Czech Republic, where a court sentenced a 32-year-old man to 20 years in prison for his participation in the Ukrainian war in Russian-led, organized and equipped forces, i.e., Russian forces. The accused, Martin Kantor, was convicted of terrorism and a member of a terrorist organization:

“32-year-old Czech national Martin Kantor has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for fighting on the side of the Russian and pro-Russian Donbas militants.  The trial before the Prague Municipal Court was in absentia, but is important both as a clear deterrent to others, and because Kantor was found guilty on 1 June 2021 of terrorism and involvement in a terrorist organization.” (1)

The trial against Kantor in the Czech Republic was not the first of its kind, hardly the last. Several similar lawsuits have recently taken place in Europe.

In Latvia, the court sentenced 40-year-old Beness Aijo to 2 ½ years in prison after participating in the Ukrainian war in Russian-led forces. Beness Aijo, known as “Black Lenin”, was found guilty of crimes under Articles 81, 82 and 83 of the Latvian Penal Code, namely involvement in the violent overthrow of the government, attempts to abolish state independence and undermining Latvia’s territorial integrity. (2)

Italy is likely to face a trial more significant than the one in Latvia, after the country's authorities succeeded in tracing and arresting a 50-year-old former police officer from Cagliari as part of Operation Lone Wolf. Former police are accused of involvement in the war in Ukraine in Russia-led troops.

A former police officer imprisoned in early May was arrested for the first time as early as 2015, on suspicion of involvement as a mercenary in a war against the Ukrainian regime. At that time, the detainee was released because there was not enough evidence that he had taken part in the actual combat missions. The detainee said during interrogations at the time that he had not “shot Ukrainian soldiers”.

In Italy, the authorities had monitored the detainee's bank accounts and found numerous transfers from a bank account linked to the “Donetsk People’s Republics” to the suspect’s account. Photographs, video recordings and documents seized by the authorities and used as evidence against the detainee.

The detainee is charged with terrorist activities. (3)

In Europe, the first convictions for involvement in the Ukrainian war in Russian-led forces or enlisted as a mercenary in a Russian company providing mercenary services, were given as early as the first years of the war. In the UK, Benjamin Stimson was sentenced under Section 5 the Terrorism Act 2006 to 5½ years in prison for involvement in the war against the Ukrainian regime in 2017. (4)

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, in Serbia, the judiciary has been diligent in condemning mercenaries – militants – who fought in Ukraine, in Russian forces. Journalist Maja Zivanovic in her article “Donbass Brothers: How Serbian Fighters Were Deployed in Ukraine” also considers the activities of the Serbian judiciary. (5) At the time of writing and publishing her article in January 2019, twenty-nine Serbs had been convicted of participating in the war in Ukraine in Russian-equipped troops as mercenaries, sixteen awaiting sentencing.

Compared to the Baltic countries or many European countries, there is no discussion in Finland about treating those who fought in the Russian-led forces as volunteers and condemning them for participating in the war in Ukraine. The silence is strange, because in Finland there have been discussions about “volunteers”, i.e., practically volunteers enlisted in terrorist organizations like ISIS or other illegal groups, etc.

The last time the conversation surfaced was more intense a year ago, when three women and their children returned to Finland from the Al-Hol camp, women had enlisted in ISIS or had otherwise joined a terrorist organization. The debate about the threat posed by those enlisted in ISIS has emerged several times over the past year.

Of course, significantly more Finns or residents of Finland have enlisted in ISIS than Finns enlisted in the Russian-led forces during the Ukrainian war, but when we discuss the threat posed by mercenaries or terrorists returning to Finland, it is strange that one group is completely forgotten. However, I do not think we can ignore the security threat they pose by shrugging straw, some of them have been involved in the battle. They have experience in war and warfare.

There may be people who have been trained in terrorist activities, much like the Swedish members of the Nordic Resistance Movement, Anton Thulin and Viktor Melin, got at the Partizan-lager organized by the Russian Imperial Movement a few years ago. However, the doctrine they received was so valid that after camp, on their return to Sweden, they, along with a third far-right extremist, Jimmy Jonasson, made a couple of successful terrorist attacks when the third failed.

Johan Bäckman and Petri Viljakainen in occupied Luhansk (oblast).

In the case of those enlisted in ISIS in Finland, there has also been a discussion about the responsibilities of non-combatants, such as the activities of those involved in maintenance and propaganda warfare, which should not be underestimated. For their part, they enable fighting and acts of terrorism; we must not underestimate the power of propaganda. There is ample evidence of the power of propaganda for the last century. With the same seriousness, I have not seen a debate about the activities of propagandists enlisted in Russia. In fact, in the case of Janus Putkonen, for example, the first news after his enlistment was amazing, there was even a slight admiration – would we start admiring a Finn who would enlist in a terrorist organization like Daesh?

And the interview about Petri Viljakainen published in Länsi-Savo in August 2019 was not very critical, rather a picture of him was painted as a naive “poor thing” subject prone to maneuvering. (Note. Viljakainen was a member of the so-called front forces in the Prizrak Brigade, but I see his role as more than just an illegal fighter on the front, Finnish Johan Bäckman also used him a lot in propaganda).

Länsi-Savo, 6^th of August 2019.

The same culture of silence prevails when looking at other activities committed by Finns, those enlisted in Russian troops, or those working for Russia's decline. I have not noticed a discussion about recruitment activities, of which Johan Bäckman was one of the key members in Finland, or about financing the activities – according to Petri Viljakainen, who is now disappeared in occupied eastern Ukraine, Bäckman paid his expenses when he traveled via St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don and from there to occupied East- Ukraine. According to an update to Johan Bäckman’s blog “Kohudosentti” –

’DNR's Helsinki office’ supplies ‘DNR's People's Army’ with Finnish camo suits, sweaters, balaclavas, combat vests, thermal suits, Gore-Tex costumes, etc. In addition, the mission provides humanitarian aid to families with children in Donbass. Finnish volunteers and experts are also leaving for Donbass…. (6)

And more information:

To traveling Donbass, you need a passport and a Russian multiple-entry visa. The passport can be ordered online or from the police station and the visa online or from travel agencies. ‘DNR's Helsinki office’ pays airline tickets, visa and passport expenses and equipment to departures. Recruiting or enlisting ‘DNR’ military does not violate Finnish law. There will be several groups leaving soon, get in touch and we will find a suitable one for you! (7)

To the best of my knowledge, no pre-trial investigation has been initiated in Finland against those Finns who have enlisted in Russian troops and went to war in Ukraine. I am aware that in at least one case, the Public Prosecutor's Office has issued a decision which did not require the police to open a preliminary investigation into the actions of Johan Bäckman and Janus Putkonen in Finland and Ukraine. The request for an investigation submitted to the police asked to investigate whether the Bäckman’s activities carried out constituted terrorist financing and recruitment.

As the authorities in Finland have not carried out an investigation, we do not know how significant the military aid sent from Finland has been and who has financed it. About 20 people from Finland have enlisted in the Russian-led forces in Ukraine, some of them playing a propagandistic role.

It is impossible for me to say why no investigation was carried out in Finland into the actions of Finns enlisted in Russian-led forces. Whether there is a reason in history (Finnlandisierung), or outdated legislation, or whether there is a more complex reason behind it – hard to say.

And one part is then the return to Finland, and how they are treated in Finland. At least some of them seem to have languished in our society as if nothing had happened. It is worth noting here, however, that they have not made an account with their past, but rather seem to justify their actions. Some, such as Jarmo Ekman, who was the municipal candidate of the Kristallipuolue in Sastamala, are building a career as a (political) influencer in Finland with little hiding their background.

What is interesting on this side is that Ekman seems to have been wanted for more parties during the municipal elections, however, he chose the Kristallipuolue for apparently personal reasons. On the other hand, it says something, at least from the local department of True Finns (perussuomalaiset), when they have inquired about Ekman in their “ranks” regardless of the background. In addition to his propagandistic work in occupied eastern Ukraine, his background also includes sanctions imposed on him by Ukraine, which was also highlighted in an interview with Tyrvään Sanomat (I refer to the picture below, which is a partial photo of the interview), as well as serving as the secretary of the disinformative Toimittajaliitto alongside other cohesion-breaking influences, factors that do not seem to weigh in the horizontal cup of the True Finns party at all.

The war in the eastern parts of Ukraine began in April 2014, the spread of Russian propaganda in Finland began very soon after that, the first (publicly) enlisted Finns arrived in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine via Russia in the following year – hidden from the public, someone may have arrived before this. Now we live in the summer of 2021, the war in Ukraine continues, just like the silence in Finland – I’m shamed!

 

Marko

 

Sources:

1. http://khpg.org/en/1608809156 

2. https://www.unian.info/world/donbas-latvia-in-absentia-sentences-black-lenin-to-2-5-years-in-prison-11423254.html 

3. https://www.unian.info/war/donbas-war-italy-arrests-ex-police-officer-who-fought-as-mercenary-11408410.html 

4. http://khpg.org/en/1500064559 

5. https://vsquare.org/donbass-brothers-how-serbian-fighters-were-deployed-in-ukraine/ 

6. https://kohudosentti.blogspot.com/2014/12/dnr-taistelee-suomalaisissa.html 

7. https://kohudosentti.blogspot.com/2015/07/haluatko-vapaaehtoiseksi-donbassiin.html 

Screenshot of Johan Bäckman’s blog, in the text he tells what kind of material “DNR Representation” in Helsinki has taken from Finland to occupied eastern Ukraine. Bäckman himself is a key figure in the background of the “DNR Representation” in Helsinki, Finland. (6)