Refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine: candidate removed from the list in Finland's elections. Photo

In Finland, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has excluded Ivan Devyatkin, a candidate in the municipal elections in Lappeenranta, from its list. He refused to condemn the aggressor state of Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and also criticized Finland's decision to close the border with Russia, calling it a "human rights violation."

This was reported by Yle on Monday, December 2. This decision was supported by all party members.

In an interview with the publication, Devyatkin evaded answering the question whether he considered the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be justified. He stated that the publication was asking "too broad a set of questions." After that, the party informed him of the demand to condemn Russian aggression.

The SPD demands that all candidates have a clear position on the war.

In addition, he called the closure of the border with Russia a violation of human rights and said that Finland is the "51st state of the United States."

Ivan Devyatkin holds Finnish and Russian citizenship. He was born in Russia and moved to Lappeenranta in 2012 to pursue a PhD in environmental studies. He works as an environmental impact assessment manager for a large Finnish forestry company. Devyatkin is a co-founder of the organization of Finnish Russians "Alexander Union," which advocates the opening of the eastern border.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, training courses for women in case of war with Russia have begun at a forestry military base in Finland. There, they acquire skills that could prove decisive in the event of a Russian invasion or hybrid attack.

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