The Ministry of Defense of Finland decided to deny the Russians the purchase of real estate. Three property acquisition deals are already known to be blocked, and it looks like this is just the beginning. Information about refusals appeared on the official website of the Finnish department on October 19.
The decisions were approved by Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen and affected two objects in the city of Ruokolahti and one object in the city of Kitee, which were planned to be acquired by individuals and one company, all of Russian origin.
The Finnish authorities justified the ban by following the national defense strategy and measures to protect the territorial integrity of Finland. “Negative decisions on the issuance of permits are based on the law on the need to obtain permits for the purchase of certain types of real estate,” the department’s website said.
As for Russian shopping tourists who continue to “storm” Finnish stores, the Finnish authorities have not yet found an effective way to ban them.
The head of the agency’s sanctions department, Pia Sarivaary, previously complained to local media that Russians were buying unauthorized goods in bulk and in large quantities, such as chocolate and shoes, and taking them home.