By Eric Zuesse
21 May 2026, by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)
Wounded and freezing Red Army soldiers after capture in February 1940.
The most articulate supporters of this view are at the Neighborhood Club of Finland, which was started in 2022 by Mauno Eljas Saari (born 16 June 1947 in Tornio), a Finnish journalist, author and screenwriter, who in 2014 had noticed that the ‘democratic revolution’ in February 2014 in Ukraine had, in fact, been instead a successful U.S. coup that replaced Ukraine’s democratically elected and committedly neutralist President Yanukovych by a U.S.-Government-selected team to run the country and get rid of Ukrainians in areas of Ukraine that had voted by more than 75% for the neutralist Yanukovych. It was part of American billionaires’ longstanding effort to conquer Russia in order to take over the world.
The new Ukrainian government’s aim was to make the new, committedly Russia-hating, U.S.-picked teamcapable of being ‘democratically’ electable in Ukraine, by eliminating those voters. Saari recognized that Russia actually had a legitimate national-security interest in preventing Ukraine — which is the only Russia-bordering country that’s only 5 minutes of missile-flight time away from The Kremlin and thus intolerable to Russians to be allied with the U.S. against Russia — and Saari therefore strongly opposed Finland’s joining NATO, which in 2022 was being done by Finland’s Government, on the entirely false assumption that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had been ‘unprovoked’ and ‘aggression’ against Ukrainians, instead of essential self-defense by Russia against an aggressive and ever-expanding U.S. empire that was aiming to replace Russia’s independent Government.
WINTER WAR (1939—>)Dogs being fitted with gas masks by Finnish soldiers. Given the anti-Soviet propaganda, there were widespread but ultimately unfounded fears the Red Army would use poison gas during the invasion.
On 26 November 2020, I headlined “How the Western Press Lied About the 2014 Coup in Ukraine: Pretending that It Was Instead a Real Democratic Revolution”, and opened “UPDATE: On November 27th, Swedish radio placed me onto their “spam” list. That was a day after I had submitted this article to them.” When, during 2022, I submitted articles and letters-to-the-editor (both in English and in their native language) to the major newspapers and TV networks in both Sweden and Finland documenting that America not Russia was to blame for having started the war in Ukraine, none published any of them. However, some Swedes and Finns have nonetheless managed to overcome the nearly universal censorship by their own nation’s billionaires and so to know the reality; and the following articles from the Neighborhood Cub (or “Association” of Finland are examples:
Selected Comments
“Why is Finland lost?
Finland was more independent during the Cold War than perhaps ever before: Finland did not humiliate the Soviet Union, pursued a bilateral policy that was beneficial to both parties, Finland had its own legislation, its own border controls, its own currency, its own foreign and trade policy, and there were no foreign military forces in our region.”
Sakari Linden / 18.5.2026
The West has made Finland its submissive raw material reserve by distorting the historical understanding of Finns and breaking their awareness of the importance of geopolitical balance for Finland’s rise as an independent and prosperous state.000 “The West has made Finland its submissive raw material reserve by distorting the historical understanding of Finns and breaking Finns’ awareness of the importance of geopolitical balance.” Politicians from Finland’s pro-Western parties and the mainstream media have done a great job in ensuring the success of the information warfare campaign.
Finnish President TP Stubb
Finland had its own legislation, its own border controls, its own currency, its own foreign and trade policies. After the transfer of the Porkkala lease area, Soviet armed forces never again entered Finnish soil, for example for military exercises. During the Cold War, Finnish companies created wealth for Finns and Finland did not make large-scale income transfers abroad. The difference with the current situation is great. “There have been two main trends in Finland’s foreign policy history; Western orientation and neutrality. In today’s one-truth Finland, only Western orientation is allowed.”
The USA-EU-NATO-Finland, which has surrendered to the West, currently imports a significant part of its legislation from outside, i.e. from the legislative machinery of the European Union. Finland no longer has an independent foreign, monetary and trade policy, Finland no longer controls all its borders and receives all customs duties. Finland has to pay income transfers to other EU member states. Finland has handed over 15 bases on its territory to the United States.00000 Finland is forced to privatize its state-owned companies after becoming indebted to the West. Foreign mining companies are repatriating financial profits from Finland and leaving mining waste behind. Why can anyone support this miserable reality for Finland and Finns?0000 Is your Finland Urho Kekkonen Finland or by Alexander Stubb Finnish?
“Ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov: Finland has erected an Iron Curtain on Russia”By Toimitus / 16.4.2026
Russian Amb. to Finland Pavel Kuznetsov
“Finland has literally and figuratively erected an iron curtain on its relations with Russia,” said Pavel Kuznetsov, Russia’s ambassador to Finland, in an interview with the TASS news agency. “Relations are practically non-existent.” The interview was published early Thursday.
According to Ambassador Kuznetsov, relations between the countries are in an extremely deplorable state. “I would rather say that there are no relations at all.”
According to the ambassador, over the past four years, the Finnish authorities have destroyed practically everything that our country has built in the decades after the war in politics, economics, science, culture and other fields.
“All relations have been severed, the border is closed, there is no passenger traffic,” he says.
Kuznetsov refers to the erection of the Iron Curtain and states that this has never happened before in Russian-Finnish relations. “Not even in the 1920s and 1930s, on the eve of World War II.”
“Today, all that remains are diplomatic contacts between embassies and foreign ministries and some working contacts between some agencies on some practical matters, such as border issues and the handling of remaining railway transport.”
In Kuznetsov’s opinion, the abnormal situation is not in the interests of the Finnish people, above all. “It is enough to look at the key figures of the current state and prospects of socio-economic development, not to mention the national security of the Finnish state, which has deteriorated with Finland’s accession to NATO and the country’s leadership adopting a confrontational line towards Russia.”
“The alternative is to restart the dialogue”
According to the ambassador, there have recently been some signs in Finnish society that they have begun to understand that there is no alternative to restarting the dialogue. “But unfortunately, not at the country’s leadership,” says Kuznetsov.
According to Ambassador Kuznetsov, Finland must respect Russia’s interests if it wants to restart dialogue.
“We were not the ones who severed all ties between our countries. We are ready to consider constructive proposals from the Finnish authorities to restore ties, but of course Russia’s national interests must be absolutely respected,” says the Russian ambassador to Finland. “The ball is in Helsinki’s court.”
“For our part, we have always spoken in favor of pragmatic cooperation based on respect and mutually beneficial neighborly relations. And we will continue to do so,” says Ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov.
BELOW: Comments on “Ambassador Pavel Kuznetsov: Finland has erected an Iron Curtain on Russia”
Seiho1 says:
16.4.2026 23: 22
Yes indeed, the general public arena, the Russian won in the medal ceremony, the general public couldn’t watch and listen to the Russian national anthem, but they left right before the start! An incredibly sick group. Luckily, you don’t have to follow the general public!
Seiho1 says:
16.4.2026 23: 24
Finland is sick!
Origo says:
18.4.2026 05: 43
It’s just a shame to pay the YLE tax when I don’t use or need YLE for anything.
Sister Akanvirta says:
16.4.2026 20: 27
For example, Finnish-Russian scientific cooperation to improve the Baltic Sea has also been terminated, as far as I know. No sacrifice is too great for the altar of hatred against Russia.
Arctic fox says:
17.4.2026 08: 28
I remember noticing the primacy of hatred towards Russia in 2015.
Erkki Jalkanen says:
16.4.2026 17: 25
“We are ready to consider constructive proposals from the Finnish authorities to restore ties, but of course Russia’s national interests must be absolutely respected,” says the Russian ambassador to Finland. “The ball is in Helsinki’s court.”
These words from the ambassador are hopeful for the future.
When the “pubescent” Finnish administration first learns to understand and respect at least the national interests of its own nation and its citizens instead of the collective interests of its associations, an example of which is the country’s socio-economic situation, then it would be possible to think that there would also be understanding and respect for Russia. Unfortunately, in Helsinki there are only scoundrels and idiots who, for reasons of their own or those of their interest groups, are unable to take control of the situation. It is sad that this is the situation.
But, -“Nothing lasts forever, neither good nor bad.” Therein lies the seed of hope.
Heikki Poroila says:
16.4.2026 17: 13
It is worth constantly reminding ourselves that the destruction of relations between Finland and Russia has been a one-sided process, in which only Finland has been active. When relations are rebuilt sometime in the future, we can only hope that Russia will continue its patient course.
It is probably inevitable that Finland cannot be represented in these stages of rebuilding relations by representatives of the current foreign policy leadership, who, led by TP Stubb, have repeatedly violated all the foundations of diplomacy by mocking Russia and its official representatives.
It is also to be hoped that the Russian side will accept the idea that the majority of Finns have been misled and that active Russophobia is not the majority position. But perhaps it is realistic to assume that relations cannot return to a state of full trust quickly. I would not be surprised if the Russian side continues to show caution in relations with Finland for a long time to come.
