Since the 2000s, Finland has welcomed Russian investments. As a result, thousands of properties across the country became owned by Russians. These are mainly residential buildings and dachas.
After Russia’s major war with Ukraine began in 2022 and Finland joined NATO in 2023, state and civilian activists began scrutinizing these sites – discovering that some were located near military bases, airports, armories, communications facilities, water and electricity supplies, transportation infrastructure, or in strategically important areas near borders.
Bloomberg interviewers – at least 10 people familiar with the Finnish security system – NoteThis caused a state of panic in the country. The authorities fear that these properties could be used to monitor military installations and disrupt means of transportation and communications. In addition, these buildings may contain safe houses and warehouses for Russian agents, according to what the newspaper reported.
In 2020, Finland changed its legislation: citizens of countries outside the European Union or European Economic Area must obtain permission from the Ministry of Defense to purchase property. Since then, 37 transactions have been blocked. In some cases, we were talking about areas close to training areas in Lapland, or near railways, power lines or the headquarters of Finnish and NATO structures. Sometimes, authorities rejected sales not because of proximity to infrastructure, but because buyers could not explain the source of the funds, the purpose of the deal, or simply did not provide the required documents.
Uiva Myatinen, the former top director of Nokia, has been following land deals with Russian involvement since 2008. Then he became alarmed by Russian businessman Denis Fokin’s promise to invest 100 million euros in the small municipality of Sarijarvi in the central part of the country. His concerns were shared by former policeman Asko Haakzel, retired Brigadier General Hanno Lotola and others. They say they are motivated by patriotism and memories of wars with the Soviet Union.
Over time, activists began receiving signals from all over the country – from builders, loggers, taxi drivers and small business owners. Kalevi Kurilahti, who became the group’s “field researcher,” traveled to all the airports in Finland — and discovered Russian property near runways, including military airfields. He photographed areas near power lines, military depots, railway and highway intersections, and energy centers. According to him, Russian possessions appeared at such strategic points with amazing regularity.
The group began by talking about their findings to Finnish politicians and media. Then they started receiving threats: they found their car tires punctured, they heard suspicious voices on their phones, they found headless animals on their doorstep, and the like. In 2010, senior Defense Department officials publicly denied that foreign assets posed a threat.
The situation began to change after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and especially after 2022. By joining NATO, Finland, along with the Baltic states and Poland, became part of the alliance’s eastern flank. In 2025, a law came into force that completely prohibits citizens of Russia and Belarus from purchasing real estate unless they have a permanent residence permit in Finland or long-term status in the European Union.
However, buyers can circumvent the restrictions by using a second citizenship, renting property, or using nominees. What is even more difficult is dealing with properties that have already been sold: Finland does not dare to confiscate them, as some could easily make a mistake in distinguishing on the basis of passport and origin, thus undermining the real estate market.
A typical example is the so-called Delo Airstone is my dream. This is a Finnish company headed by Russian Pavel Melnikov. Over the course of several years, Airiston Helmi bought 17 properties in the Turku Archipelago – small islands off the southwest coast of Finland. This is, firstly, the main Finnish military port and, secondly, almost the center of the Baltic Sea – major sea routes and infrastructure such as submarine cables are easily accessible from the islands.
Ariston Helmy’s management was accused of fraud and tax evasion. After a while, the company was liquidated and its properties were sold. On February 24, 2022, a Finnish court sentenced Pavel Melnikov to a suspended prison term of one and a half years.
Another example is a former nursing home in Kankanpaa in southwestern Finland. It is not the most popular place in the country, and the municipality sold it for a symbolic thousand euros – just so that the property would have an owner to tidy it up.
In October 2022, three Russian citizens suddenly appeared, willing to buy back the property for 15 times its price in order to turn it into a holiday home. But the Finnish authorities questioned this explanation. The nursing home is located just seven kilometers from Ninisalo Garrison, the country’s largest military unit, a large artillery range and an open base for US forces as part of Finland’s agreement with the United States. After verifying its authenticity, the Finnish Ministry of Defense blocked the deal, considering it a threat to national security. This was the first time in the country’s history that real estate purchases were officially stopped for precisely these reasons.
Such concerns do not exist only in Finland. The Telegraph newspaper Lists Many cases in other countries. People with ties to Russia are trying to buy or have already bought property near a submarine base in Scotland, the British Akrotiri air base in Cyprus, and naval and air bases in Norway, Sweden and other countries. As a rule, these objects are located in remote areas that are not attractive for tourism. These are usually residential buildings, and in some cases churches.