HISTORY AS A BATTLEFIELD:
RUSSIA’S INFORMATION WAR AGAINST
FINLAND 2025

Russia employs narratives rooted in a distorted version of history as a strategic tool to legitimise its power ambitions and undermine neighbouring states. Finland has long been the target of a campaign portraying it as a Nazi collaborator; a narrative that intensified in 2025 through orchestrated legal actions, destruction of monuments, political statements and open threats. At the regional level, particularly in Karelia and Leningrad Oblast, local courts and activist groups have been mobilised to provide a façade of legitimacy and grassroots support. Central to this approach are legal proceedings, such as rulings in St. Petersburg and indictments in Petrozavodsk, which construct a false juridical foundation for potential reparations or even – in the long term – territorial claims. The campaign follows an escalatory logic in which rhetoric, legal measures and physical acts combine, ultimately creating the conditions for renewed aggression. To counter this, the Nordic-Baltic-Polish region must pursue a joint strategy that combines rapid, fact-based counter-communication on an international level with protection of commemorative culture, international diplomacy and long-term societal resilience.