Finland blocks Russians from buying property over “security threats”

Finland’s Ministry of Defense has blocked 11 real estate purchases by citizens from countries outside the European Union, including Russia, citing potential risks to national security, according to Finnish broadcaster Yle on October 27.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed that the rejected transactions involved nationals from Russia, Israel, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The properties included residential homes, summer cottages, commercial sites, and forested land located in strategically sensitive regions such as Mikkeli, Parainen, and Tornio.

“Real estate is one of the avenues for hybrid influence,” Häkkänen explained. “We reject property purchase agreements that may threaten national security, the security of supply, or complicate the organization of national defense.”

Finnish officials have increasingly warned that property acquisitions could be used for intelligence or influence operations.

Latvia takes it further

Neighboring Latvia has gone even further, introducing a full ban on real estate transactions involving citizens of Russia and Belarus.

The country’s parliament, the Saeima, passed the “Law on Restrictions of Transactions Threatening National Security” last week, prohibiting Russian and Belarusian nationals from buying, inheriting, or exchanging property in Latvia.

This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation