Mystery box in Helsinki appears to target Garden project backers

A large wooden crate addressed to “Janne” and “Ilpo” has appeared in Helsinki’s Suvilahti district, bearing the sender’s mark “VNK”—the abbreviation for the Prime Minister’s Office—and a claim of €35 million in state support for the Helsinki Garden project.

The box, roughly 150 cm on each side and made from 2 cm-thick plywood, was spotted by Yle reporter Mikko Haapanen while cycling nearby. Haapanen said he initially thought someone had gone to considerable effort to stage a political statement.

The intended recipients are widely understood to refer to Jan Vapaavuori, chair of the Helsinki Garden board and a member of the National Coalition Party, and Ilpo Kokkila, a party financier also linked to a separate event-venue proposal for Suvilahti. The Helsinki Garden project itself is planned for Töölö, not Suvilahti.

Police in Helsinki had not received a report concerning the crate by late afternoon.