Media: Finnish cities seek to close school for Russian speakers

The authorities of three Finnish cities have replaced their representatives on the board of a Finnish school for Russian speakers in an apparent attempt to get the educational institution shut down.

The CEO of the School of Eastern Finland, Katri Anttila, accused her colleagues of this effort, Caliber.Az reports citing Finnish media.

"It is highly likely that the cities will do everything possible to shut down the Eastern Finland School, even by appointing their own officials to the foundation's board," Anttila stated.

Currently, the school operates three branches in the cities of Joensuu, Lappeenranta, and Imatra. The possibility of closing the school was already raised last year due to a decline in student enrollment.

According to Anttila, board members must act in the foundation's interest under Finnish foundation law, which in this case would also include the interests of the school.

The two countries share a common history as Finland was part of the Russian Empire as an autonomous state until 1917. There remains a substantial Russian-speaking community in Finland, many of whom have arrived in the course of the Second World War and following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Relations between the two countries have been bumpy in recent years and have escalated following Finland's accession to NATO in 2023 as a response to the war in Ukraine.

By Nazrin Sadigova