Fewer Russian speakers in Finland justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine

Ten percent of Russian speakers living in Finland consider Russia’s military actions in Ukraine justified, according to a Cultura Foundation survey reported by Yle. The share has fallen somewhat since a survey two years ago.

The share who say the actions are unjustified remained at 66 percent. More respondents than before did not state a position: 14 percent said they did not know, while 10 percent declined to answer.

The survey is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 Russian speakers conducted from April to June by Bondata Research. About half of those interviewed had lived in Finland for at least 16 years. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points in either direction at a 95 percent confidence level.

Strong trust in Finnish media stands at 36 percent among respondents. It was 41 percent in 2022 and fell further in the 2024 survey; the latest results suggest the decline has stopped. By comparison, 61 percent of Finland’s population as a whole said they strongly trusted the media in an October Kansalaispulssi survey.

Trust in the media is lowest among Russian speakers who have lived in Finland for a long time. The survey found a clear connection between media trust and views on issues such as whether Russia’s military actions are justified. Many respondents consider coverage of the war and Russia one-sided.