The State Duma called the Finnish Foreign Ministry's message for the AFU mercenaries as incitement

The Finnish Foreign Ministry's message to the citizens of Finland who want to fight in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) is an incitement that can be regarded as a crime. This was pointed out by Duma member Mikhail Sheremet on 3 February.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a relevant statement earlier in the day that the ministry does not recommend or encourage "volunteer" trips to Ukraine, but emphasized that such activities are not prohibited by Finnish law.

"This is unambiguously not an unfriendly action, unambiguously it is incitement. I believe that it is a crime against other states, it is interference in the internal politics of other states. Of course, we are well aware and understand that those mercenaries who today are fighting on the territories of other countries, they are with some kind of approval, certainly, and the consent of those states in which they reside," Duma TV for Izvestia quoted Sheremet's commentary for Duma TV.

He noted that this applies to Poland, Georgia and other states whose citizens are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian army as mercenaries. In the politician's opinion, Moscow should impose sanctions on such countries - they should be held responsible for inciting and encouraging the conflict.

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the statement of the Finnish diplomatic department, said that the authors of this document were guided by hatred for the citizens of their country.

Earlier, on December 20, Duma deputy Alexander Tolmachev reported that the number of foreign mercenaries in the ranks of the AFU, liquidated or arrested, is in the thousands. British instructors will also join these lists.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador at large for crimes of the Kiev regime, Rodion Miroshnik, said that Russia was receiving more and more evidence of the presence of a significant number of foreign mercenaries in Ukraine fighting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, the number of Colombian mercenaries is increasing.

The special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.