Finnish Minister Riikka Purra: “Putin Is a War Criminal, an Aggressive Imperialist”

In Finland, there is an almost brutally realistic Minister of Finance, Riikka Purra (Finns Party), who has taken on the task of cutting state expenditures to align with revenues. She has faced opposition, particularly from the left side of the political spectrum, and the press has heavily targeted her and her party. However, this has not led to any shift in the government’s political direction.

In a recent interview, Minister Purra also characterized Russia and Putin’s regime. True to her straightforward style, she did so in no uncertain terms.

According to her, “It’s probably quite clear what everyone thinks about Putin. He is a war criminal, an aggressive imperialist.”

She described the recent events of the war in Ukraine by saying, “Even the most recent images and videos of Russia’s massive attacks, not only on cities but also on energy facilities, are utterly horrifying. Of course, we hope that peace can be achieved as soon as possible, but in this case, it’s not that simple because peace must also be acceptable.”

She also stated that “especially in this situation, stronger preparedness and investment in defense are essential.” And therefore, “since there is no money lying around unused anywhere, there are essentially two options: take on more debt or prioritize — that is, elevate defense and security above some other area of policy. I support this prioritization.”

It is to be hoped that, by the end of this government’s term, Riikka Purra and the rest of the Finnish government will receive gratitude from the public for their steadfast actions. And that after the 2027 elections, they will be able to form a new government that takes care of both the country’s security and — as the national economy stabilizes thanks to the current government’s efforts — leads Finland into sustainable economic growth for the first time since 2008.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Finland’s Minister of Finance Believes Not All Cultures Are Equally Good
Will Orpo's Government Restore Finland to Sustainable Economic Growth?
Balancing the Books

Criminal Attack Against Finnish Democracy

This morning, the Finnish Extinction Rebellion, in collaboration with the Swedish group Återställ Våtmarker, defaced the Finnish Parliament House to gain visibility for their political views. That is why I won’t discuss their goals in this writing but will briefly present my own opinion on their actions.

Defacing the Parliament House was a direct attack on Finnish democracy, which is based on decisions made by representatives elected by the people. In making these decisions, all political perspectives are represented according to the weight they hold among the Finnish population.

However, this is not acceptable to the Extinction Rebellion activists and the Swedes involved in the defacement, as they demand for themselves a dictatorial right to decide on the nation’s common affairs. In other words, through their actions, they appear to be criminal usurpers of power who should receive the maximum legal punishment for their deeds and be held financially responsible for the costs - estimated to exceed 10 000 euros - incurred.

In this context, the Kone Foundation, established by the Finnish elevator manufacturer Kone Corporation, finds itself in a peculiar situation. It has publicly funded the activities of Extinction Rebellion, which, at least in the public's mind, makes it partially responsible for what happened. And it doesn't help that you say the funding you approved hasn't been earmarked for defacing the Parliament House.

In this situation, I expect the foundation to take responsibility. That is, to publicly announce the immediate cessation of its funding for the Finnish Extinction Rebellion, to refuse any involvement in paying for the damages caused by the activists, and to unequivocally condemn their actions.

Although the Kone Corporation is not directly responsible for the actions of its foundation, it would be good if the company also condemned the incident and, in one way or another, reprimanded its foundation for its reckless use of funds. This, of course, only if the company supports representative democracy and does not feel sympathy toward criminals—and even then, only if they care about their international reputation.

Finally, I do not believe that the action taken today will increase the acceptability of the activists' goals among ordinary people. On the contrary, it will probably - and hopefully - turn against them.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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Challenges of democracy: Reflections on political violence and rhetoric in Finnish politics
Is the Finnish left-wing radicalizing?

Afghans Had to Go

In Germany, there is growing frustration with the behavior of Afghans who fled the Islamist regime in their country. As a result, the country deported nearly 30 Afghans who had committed serious crimes back to their homeland. The news does not report how the Taliban responded to this.

The news also does not clarify whether the German government's decision was influenced by the rising support for parties opposing asylum, particularly in the eastern part of the country. This is the region that previously had to live under a distasteful communist regime that disregarded human rights.

The case is significant because the deportation occurred to a country whose lack of human rights is unquestionable. Yet, despite this, the Germans decided to deport individuals who had been granted asylum there.

Also another significant decision was made. According to it, a refugee or asylum seeker's vacation trip to their home country will result in the revocation of their refugee status and deportation. However, they are still allowed to travel to their home country for the funeral of a close relative – as long as they can prove that such a funeral is indeed being held.

A third, but lesser point, is that Germany has decided to return humanitarian refugees to the EU country where they were first registered. As a result, asylum shopping will become more difficult for refugees seeking social security benefits.

It remains to be seen whether these changes will serve as examples for other countries suffering from Islamic immigration, such as Sweden, Belgium, or France. Or Finland, where the second-largest party – and now part of the government – is the Finns Party, which has a critical stance on immigration.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
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A caliphate was demanded in Germany

Russian games

Russia is notoriously playing its own game, where lies are truth and historical events can be altered. One example of the latter was seen when the Supreme Court of Karelia, a region belonging to Russia, officially declared the actions of the Finnish army during World War II to be a war crime and genocide.

Interestingly enough, the cases that were brought up have also been addressed in Finnish courts - long ago - and 213 people were convicted, 22 of whom were deemed lacking full understanding. On the other hand, neither the Soviet Union nor Russia has ever held a trial concerning the treatment of Finnish prisoners of war in their prisons during World War II.

Perhaps these two facts distinguish the rule of law from a criminal dictatorship. Where the former holds its own soldiers legally accountable for mistreating captured prisoners, the latter sees no need for such actions under any circumstances.

Or has my esteemed reader heard of any Russian soldiers being brought to justice for the crimes they committed in Ukraine over the past couple of years? No? Neither have I.

Previous thoughts on the same topic: 
Will Russia Test NATO's Article Five?
The Game is Getting Tougher
Finns Feel Sympathy for Ukrainians Because They Share a Similar Experience

Finland offers a discount for serial criminals

Crimes by immigrant-based gangs are rapidly increasing in Finland, and even police has become concerned. The situation is, however, not (yet?) as bad as in Sweden, where people are nowadays routinely shot in the middle of the day. 

One interesting feature of Finnish justice are the discounts from previous crimes. That is causing discussion now as one of the gang leaders, Iraki born Curd Milan Jaff, has been caught and brought to the Court for a number of crimes.

He was sentenced to prison for ten years due to several crimes including an assault, attempted murder, firearms offence, threatening a person to be heard in the course of justice, aggravated robbery, aggravated deprivation of liberty, drug offence, and preparation of an aggravated crime against life or health. However, if he had conducted only the most serious of crimes, his incarceration would have been already nine years. 

If the crimes would have been punished one by one, the total sentence would have been at least 15 years. In other words, Milan Jaff obtained a discount in his incarceration.

That is against the views of many people, including myself, who would rather think that it would be logical to strengthen the punishment for additional crimes. Thus, dooming a longer incarceration for a serial criminal than the sum of his crimes if calculated separately. 

It will be interesting, if immigrant-derived gangs will change the current practice. At least, one of the parties in the country - the True Finns - have taken this issue into their agenda. And therefore the future of discounts to serial criminals depend on the results of the Parliamentary elections next spring. 

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Ukrainian army should be equipped with the best possible weapons against missiles

This morning started with Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian towns including the capitol, Kyiv. According to a Finnish General and Ministerial Adviser for Intelligence "today we got to witness the work of the new commander of Russia's war of aggression, army general Sergei Surovikin, at what he does best: brutal missile terror against civilians.

After this day, it should have become crystal clear to everyone, that Vladimir Putin in not a brave President and leader of the Russian army, but a pitiful mass murderer and slimy coward. And as such, it has become imperative to turn his regime down. 

Unfortunately, Putin has a huge arsenal of nuclear weapons that prevent direct attack against Russia and its regime. However, military forces of the brave Ukrainian army should be equipped with the best possible weapons to protect themselves against the terrorist´s missiles. 

I certainly hope that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, understands this and acts as soon as possible to make that happen. Rather today than tomorrow.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
War in Ukraine affects other countries
Putin is in a political and military impasse
The main consequence of Putin´s attack to Ukraine