Access to archival materials from Russia was restricted in Finland until 9999

The National Archives of Finland imposed restrictions on access to historical materials from Russia until 9999. About this on September 6th the Finnish state television and radio company Yle reported.

"According to the law, the National Archives is obliged to promote scientific research. However, access to materials from Russia is now available <...> it is more strictly limited than it was stipulated in the agreements," the article says.

The measures imposed apply to a huge array of documents for the period from 1,500 to 1990, which were purchased from Russian agencies for more than €1 million as part of a bilateral cooperation program that ended in 2022.

The agency's Director General, Paivi Happonen, explained that the organization no longer has official contacts with Moscow, and it is now possible to get acquainted with the unique archival funds exclusively in person in the reading rooms in Helsinki, since there is allegedly no secure remote connection for foreign and local specialists.

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On August 29, the head of the Finnish public organization Naapuriseura, Jauri Varvikko, said that the regions of Finland bordering Russia are in danger of accelerating the outflow of population due to the closure of the border. According to him, the decision of the Finnish authorities to close the border with the Russian Federation, effective from November 2023, may negatively affect the border territories. The unemployment rate there is approaching 20%.

On August 21, the project manager from the Finnish Border Guard headquarters, Erkki Matilinen, announced that the country had almost completely completed the construction of a barrier complex on the state border with Russia. The main part of the fence was erected in the south-east of the Russian-Finnish border, and the longest section, 140 km long, is located in the regions of South Karelia and Kymenlaakso. According to journalists, the fully finished engineering facility is planned to be handed over to the customer in September.