Vandals target Finnish Embassy in Moscow, painting slogan and throwing eggs

On Friday, the fence of the Finnish Embassy in Moscow was vandalized, as reported by Ambassador Marja Liivala. The vandals painted the Swedish-language slogan “Åland är vårt,” meaning “Åland is ours,” and threw eggs at the fence. The police responded quickly, apprehending five male suspects, although Liivala could not provide information on their nationalities.

The Finnish government sent a note to Russia on Saturday regarding the vandalism, although Liivala did not disclose further details about its content. “In such cases, it is customary to send a note to highlight the problem,” she stated. No formal criminal report has been filed regarding the incident, at least for now, as the focus has been on sending the note.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland takes the incident seriously. A spokesperson described the occurrence as unfortunate, and emphasized Finland’s concern about the matter. Currently, efforts are underway to remove the graffiti and repaint the fence, although Liivala did not estimate the costs involved. She assured that the incident would not significantly impact the embassy’s future security measures, as their safety protocols remain intact.

In addition to the slogan, flowers were painted on the fence, along with the letters “SD,” which refers to the Sweden Democrats, a national conservative party in Sweden. Oskar Cavalli-Björkman, the press manager for the party, commented that the incident has no connection to them and described it as an “outrageously ridiculous and unnecessary act of vandalism.”