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Police investigate reports from lawmakers
Finnish police have opened an investigation after 20 members of Parliament reported signs that someone may have entered their homes over the past week, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper.
One lawmaker reportedly found mysterious feces in a toilet. The incidents have fueled suspicion among Finnish politicians that Russia may be behind an intimidation campaign, though authorities have not publicly identified a perpetrator.
A senior member of Finland’s governing party described the suspected intrusions as a Russian effort to threaten lawmakers. The politician said such tactics were intended to show public officials that they were being watched and to generate fear and confusion.
Suspicions of a Russian intimidation tactic
The Telegraph reported that Russian operatives have long been accused of entering the homes of foreign politicians, diplomats and journalists and deliberately leaving disturbing signs behind. Such psychological pressure tactics, intended to unsettle or intimidate perceived opponents, date to the Cold War.
In one reported case involving the United States, a senior American official visiting Russia in 2023 found feces inside a suitcase. The Wall Street Journal attributed the incident to agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.
Sarah Rainsford, a former BBC correspondent in Russia, also wrote in her 2024 memoir, “Goodbye to Russia,” that intruders entered her apartment and left waste in the toilets without flushing. The Telegraph said similar incidents appear to be a relatively recent development in Finland.
Finland’s security tensions with Russia
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia and is NATO’s easternmost member. It abandoned its long-standing policy of military nonalignment and joined the alliance in 2023, after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine heightened security concerns.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said an attack on members of Parliament was an attack on democracy. He said such conduct could not be tolerated in any form and pledged to stand with the country’s lawmakers.
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