Finland halts Russian man’s bid for remote border barracks

Finland’s Ministry of Defence has stopped a 74-year-old Russian man’s attempt to buy an old barracks complex near the eastern border, Yle reports.

The man sought to acquire several buildings in Miehikkälä for leisure and recreation. The property, near Savanjärvi and Valkjärvi lakes, is about 20 kilometres from the Russian border.

The complex includes ammunition stores, accommodation and vehicle maintenance halls. It once housed the command post of the Miehikkälä Border Jaeger Company. The Border Guard gave it up in 1997, after which it was used by the A-Clinic Foundation.

The man was born in the Soviet Union and also holds Israeli citizenship. A company in his name bought the property in 2014. That company ceased operations more than two years ago, while the businessman has acquired several other properties in the Kymenlaakso region through his companies.

His application for permission to buy the barracks reached the ministry in late March. In April, the ministry asked him for more information, including the intended use of the property and how the purchase would be financed. Officials tried to contact him by email and phone during the spring and summer, but he never supplied the requested details.