Haapasaari residents remain calm after Ukraine strikes Russian ship

Residents of Haapasaari told Yle they were not frightened after Ukraine said it had struck a Russian warship near Suursaari in the Gulf of Finland overnight into Wednesday.

The ship was more than 20 kilometres from Haapasaari, an island in Kotka’s outer archipelago. The mainland town of Kotka is about 40 kilometres away. Estonia’s defence minister said an explosion had been observed on the Russian ship, which was later reported to have headed towards St Petersburg.

Anttu Björkas, who was visiting his cottage on Haapasaari, said the news made him curious rather than afraid. He went to a rocky shore to look towards Suursaari, saying that in clear weather a fire on a warship near the island could be visible from there.

“People here are used to Russia being nearby. We are not afraid, but we talk about these things at the shop,” Björkas said.

Sanna Pesonen, who runs the island’s cooperative shop with her spouse, said she had slept peacefully and had seen nothing unusual in the sky. She described Haapasaari as a peaceful place where the concern of war nearby had not taken hold, adding that the coast guard regularly exercises close by.

Riitta Lackberg said she sees coast guard personnel on the island and nearby “all the time”. Their presence makes her feel safer, she said: “I would be afraid if they weren’t here.”

About 10 people live on Haapasaari year-round. The island’s shop is a place where residents discuss current events. Pesonen said its supplies have sometimes been delayed when the sea area was closed, but she had experienced no other problems.