Russian consulate building to be demolished in Finland
Finnish authorities have approved the demolition of the Russian consulate building (Photo: rosmedia)
The Finnish city of Turku authorities will buy the former building of the Russian consulate and then demolish it. The city council unanimously approved the decision, according to Yle.
The municipality will pay 1.6 million euros for a land plot of 3,500 square meters, on which a building of 2,000 square meters was constructed in 1974. A new building, possibly a kindergarten, will be erected in its place.
The city services are expected to clean up the soil on the site, as in the early 1900s, there were foundry and zinc plants on the location.
The decision to purchase will be executed regardless of its legal force; the authorities will not wait to consider possible appeals.
Deterioration of Relations between Russia and Finland
It is worth noting that the Finnish authorities announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Turku in July 2023. These actions responded to the expulsion of nine Finnish diplomats from Russia and the closure of the consulate in St. Petersburg.
The Finnish consulate worked until September 30, after which the authorities terminated the lease agreement. Its functions were transferred to the Russian embassy in Helsinki, and the building, initially constructed for the Soviet diplomatic mission, was thoroughly inspected with the police's participation after the diplomats' departure.
Relations between Russia and Finland significantly deteriorated against the backdrop of Finland's NATO membership. In early April, the country officially joined the North Atlantic Alliance.
Moreover, Finnish officials planned to consider the presence of NATO forces on their territory before joining the alliance.
In May, it became known that Helsinki was negotiating with Washington to allow the US military to be present in the country. Later reports suggested that Finland might enable the United States to use several military bases.
