Russian Soldier in Finland – A Sign of Crumbling Morale?

A former fighter who served with the Russian-aligned Wagner Group in Ukraine has appeared in Finland as an asylum seeker. He has previously participated in Russian war propaganda but has recently harshly criticized Russia for its treatment of its own soldiers and for lying to their families.

The man could, of course, be a genuine asylum seeker—or alternatively, a Russian agent. This is a matter Finnish authorities will undoubtedly investigate. At this stage, however, the most interesting aspect is what he has revealed about Putin's army.

The soldier, who has now arrived in Finland, published a video last February in which he denounced the Russian military leadership and accused it of mistreating Russian soldiers. He also threatened to track down those responsible.

In June, the man released another video in which he accused Russian commanders of being traitors who "leave soldiers to rot in the fields." At the time of this video’s release, he was already in Finland. On the other hand, he has continued publishing Wagner propaganda until quite recently.

In Finland, any possible involvement by the Russian soldier in war crimes will be investigated, and if necessary, he will be prosecuted. For that, the judiciary will need information about his actions in Ukraine, so cooperation with the local authorities there is essential.

At the same time, it is clear that he will not be extradited to the warring Ukrainians for prosecution; rather, he will be investigated specifically in Finland. For now, however, he is not suspected of committing war crimes.

It remains to be seen what will happen to the Russian soldier next, but his appearance in Finland may signal a decline in the fighting morale of Russian troops. And that would not be to the benefit of Vladimir Putin or his administration, but – in contrast – good news for the Ukrainian army.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Suicide and Sudden Death in Russia – What's Really Going On? 
Russians in Finland Include Both Putin’s Supporters and Loyal Citizens
Russian Aircraft Violated Finnish Airspace – But What’s the Point?

A white family does not represent real Londoners

The "woke" culture originating from the United States annoys many people. Nevertheless, its influence is immense, as anyone who follows yesterday's main news broadcast noticed when our taxpayer-funded media reported on a dance video being filmed in Helsinki, Finland.

The dance video was based on a Korean song, and almost all of the approximately one hundred young participants had skin tones that were either of Finnish or East Asian appearance. However, the reporter from Yle (Finnish Broadcasting Company) had chosen to interview a girl of evidently African origin (presumably biracial) as the first interviewee.

This could, of course, be mere coincidence, but the phenomenon is far too common in Finnish society (where more than 90 percent are white Europeans)  for it not to be deliberate – as everyone could deduce for themselves, such as from the skin tones of people appearing in clothing advertisements (example). Behind this likely lies the enormous pressure caused by the "woke" culture on people in Western societies.

One consequence of this pressure seems to be some sort of self-deprecation among European individuals. An astonishing example of this was reported by some of the smaller newspapers, which conveyed a claim written on the London Mayor's website stating that a white family "does not represent real Londoners." Therefore, it was deemed inappropriate for city branding.

The caption was allegedly posted on the website accidentally. This might be believed by all those who wish to, but in my view, such an explanation is not plausible. In my opinion, the text has undoubtedly been written deliberately and added to the website either with or without the mayor's permission.

In either case, the caption clearly displays content that belittles the European native population under the influence of woke culture—potentially even containing racist undertones towards us. Especially when the name of the London Mayor is Sadiq Khan and his roots trace back to Pakistan.

The power of woke culture is also indicated by the fact that neither Yle nor the biggest private newspaper - Helsingin Sanomat - has published any news concerning the London Mayor, despite the fact that it was already available for reading in Etelä-Suomen Sanomat two day ago.

The original blogpost in Finnish:
Valkoihoinen perhe ei edusta todellisia lontoolaisia

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
"Woke" pushes American science academies to favor women in their membership selections
Finnish journalist called for British Prime Minister´s head to be placed on London bridge to dry
China is betting on scientific excellence

A young woman skiing in a swimsuit caused a controversy among women

Ida Hulkko is a 24-year-old Finnish general's daughter, a relative of Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks and competitive swimmer who has won silver at the European Championships. She is also active on social media and recently posted a video of herself skiing in her competition outfit, which happens to be a swimsuit. The video caused a storm of controversy, which Hulkko can best explain herself.

"It's amazing how much negative emotion one video that I found funny can stir up in people who don't even know me... Some people understood the humor, but others focused on the objectification and slut-shaming aspects. If I wanted attention, I could start an OnlyFans or do something else. And even if I did want attention, what's wrong with that?"

So is this about misogyny directed towards a young woman by men? Or even contempt for the entire female gender? The reader can ponder this in light of the swimmer's own comments.

"I receive hateful messages every day. Unfortunately, most of the hate speech comes from women. It's really sad. Nowadays, society talks a lot about feminism, but still some women are bullied on social media."

Furthermore, "I've been told, for example, that I disrespect female athletes and women's sports. I've also been slut-shamed, and I've even been accused of promoting a rape culture." 

I think this is pretty harsh talk for a young woman who is living best time of her life and excelling as an elite athlete, just because she humorously played around with Finnish seasons in an outfit that no one pays much attention to in the summer at the beach or even in the wintertime at the indoor swimming pool.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:

The Guardian misleads its readers
African female and Persian male ancestors
Did police have the right to strip women

Tractor course for Ukrainians

We are all aware of Ukrainian tractors pulling Russian military equipment. In addition, we have seen many tractor cartoons and drawings ridiculing the Russian army.

We also know that there are millions of Ukrainians - mostly women and children - who have left their home country in order to find a safe place while their army is fighting for their future. About 25 000 of those have come to Finland, my home country. 

Today I was reading a newspaper and put my attention on a story, which reported on Finns teaching Ukrainians to drive tractors. One of the the teachers told that the Ukrainians have shown high willingness to participate in society and work. According to him, they are "top crew". 

It remains to be seen, however, how much the Finnish tractor training adds to the efficacy of Ukrainian tractor forces against Russian tanks. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Demonstration of one´s own stupidity is a sign of western values
Is President Putin on his way to repeat the destiny of Czar Nicholas II?
Military specialist: Russian plan in Ukraine was incredibly poor