Russians in Finland: some “smoke bamboo”, others look for work

In 2017, a criminal case was opened against Russian citizen Boris Yakovlev for posts on social networks. The man managed to escape from the country. In a couple of days I issued a Schengen visa and that was it.

Yakovlev was convicted in absentia when he was already in Finland.

In 2019, Boris received political asylum, which is valid for four years.

— I live in a small town, far from the capital of Finland. I am still in the status of a political refugee. In a year, the term expires, you will have to look for work, – Boris Yakovlev began. – There is no talk about the fact that Russian refugees can be deprived of this status. Although at the end of February I was not myself. I then even suspended my studies in college. Wrote a statement: sorry, I can not attend classes. But the teachers reassured me: “Boris, we understand everything.” One teacher, who taught an elective course in Finnish law, supported: “If there are problems, contact me, I will help.”

– Now the Russians are unlikely to be granted political asylum.

– Why not? We just need good reasons, it’s not easy to come and say: I feel sad, let me go to Europe. That won’t work. I also heard that the consideration of refugee cases is now underway in an accelerated mode. I have been waiting for approval for about two years. Now, in my opinion, issues are resolved in two months. True, they do not work so carefully, carelessly. According to rumors, mostly there are failures.

“Putin is loved, but they are not eager to go home”

— Do many Russians live in your city?

– Full. The city is small, Russians can be identified by the TV plates Tricolor TV, which are on their balconies. They all love Putin, but for some reason they don’t want to go home, you can’t kick them out of here.

Has the attitude of the locals towards Russians changed?

– In Finland, there is no close harassment from the locals. I have not heard that the Russians looked askance. Although recently one woman complained that her residence permit was ending and there were problems with bank accounts. She started talking about discrimination. I replied: “You are wrong, lady. You had plenty of time to learn the language and get citizenship. And you played the fool. Now you’re complaining.”

– Have there been more Russians in the country over the past six months?

— In our city, I did not notice. But I admit that the Russians who have arrived recently prefer to live apart, outside of society. They do not turn to public organizations for help, they do not look for work. Surely these citizens with money, bought houses here, sit, smoke bamboo and do not shine.

— What do Russians do in your city?

— I live in a city that is located on the border with Petrozavodsk. The region is considered depressive, like my hometown in the Pskov region, where I moved from. Consider yourself in a similar place.

Russian-speakers from Karelia settled here, who moved here twenty years ago. People did not learn the language, they did not seek to work, they still live on unemployment benefits. They are provided with free food as the poor. According to them, now not only Russians, but also Finns began to come to social centers where food is distributed. The increase in prices affected the standard of living of the population.

Do you accept Ukrainian refugees?

– Accept. I think about a thousand people came, mostly women and children. But they live apart. They are handled by their own organization for the issuance of products and cash payments. By the way, in our region now they no longer provide translators for Russians who helped us. And the Ukrainians, on the contrary, were assigned a specialist. Now, if I go to social services, I have to communicate in Finnish. In the past, this was easier. Perhaps this is the only discrimination.

Finland is not a country for refugees. Where are the Ukrainians settled?

– At first they were placed in public boarding houses. Then they gave us apartments. The Finns, though unhurried, but with the construction of houses they are all right. Lots of things set up. Including social housing, which is no different from ordinary, of the same high quality.

“Cigarettes are not affordable”

Has the rise in prices had a noticeable effect on your life?

– When I arrived here, gasoline cost a euro, now it’s about two. The cost of groceries has gone up. I am not a housewife, I don’t count to a penny, but I noticed that prices for some positions have doubled. I have always saved, but now I have to tighten my belt even more. The benefits are getting smaller and smaller. I am paid 500 euros. But two years ago it was one money, now it is completely different. Plus, I’m a smoker. Cigarettes cost 9 euros, I can’t afford it. I find local Karelian hucksters who can still travel to Russia and back, bringing goods from there. I met a guy at a language course, his parents stayed in Karelia. He periodically drives to them, brings cigarettes for me, so I survive somehow. But hucksters are hucksters, they see the current situation and raise prices.

– Do local Russians have any problems with trips to the Russian Federation?

— Local Russians come from Sortavala, Petrozavodsk. Half of their relatives live in Russia, half in Finland. They are called Ingrians. They study and work here. During the coronavirus pandemic, the guys experienced problems crossing the border. Now, they say, everything is fine.

What do you think about the coming winter? Are they talking about saving gas and electricity?

— Lanterns in the city burn constantly. As for the heat, I can’t say yet, but I don’t think there will be problems. In Finland, people are hardened. Here in the apartments the temperature does not rise above 20 degrees. For me, it’s a little uncomfortable, but for the Finns it’s normal. They wear T-shirts in college in the winter, while I put on two sweaters. I want to turn on the heater, but they are fine. So they will survive the winter calmly.

“Children are pushed to Europe by their parents”

Are you going to change citizenship?

– This is my main goal. When I graduate from college, I can almost automatically get citizenship. It’s just that I can hardly work in my specialty. I am already an adult, which of me is a competitor to the Finnish youth. In addition, they are doing much better with the language. I study in college more for myself. I feel awkward among children of 16-18 years old. Sometimes I slow down, I have a complex because of this, but I can’t quit.

— Did you learn Finnish?

– At the household level, I have enough. I can communicate with employees of different organizations, without any problems I will ask about something in the store. But with special terms it is not so simple. Finnish is difficult. Each region also has its own language dialects. Where I live – the Karelian dialect. It is peculiar. The locals say that they took the porridge in their mouths, they can’t make it out. In college, I understand a teacher from Helsinki, but teachers from our region have difficulty.

– Are there many Russians in college?

– This year, Russian-speaking youth has increased significantly. Nobody expected this to happen. Some entered after the 8th grade, others after the 10th. They say that soon another party will arrive, the documents are drawn up. Mostly they come from Petrozavodsk and St. Petersburg.

There are many different specialties: cooks, drivers, loaders. There is a cultural bias: graphic design, stage equipment. I am studying sound engineering.

– Didn’t they ask why the children leave Russia?

“Everyone has their own reasons. I admit that the boys are running away from the army, the girls want to jump into the last car to catch on in Europe. Some are pushed out by their parents. I see that some children came here without much enthusiasm. Before the holidays, I talked with one girl, she whined: what am I doing here, no one is forcing me to study, or it’s in Russia – they celebrate visits there, there is discipline, but here there is such laxity that you don’t have to go. I told her about motivation, about desire. She didn’t even listen: “Yes, I don’t have any motivation, I go, I don’t know why.” But the second year of study has begun, I see, she hasn’t left, she walks.

– Is the training paid?

– Education is free, but when applying for an annual study visa, you must have 7,000 euros on your account. Students are provided with a hostel, they are fed twice a day – breakfast and lunch. The visa needs to be renewed every year, to show bank accounts. When the Russians had problems with bank cards, they solved the problem surprisingly quickly. Everyone is tricky here. For example, a guy from St. Petersburg, who has Romanian citizenship, is studying in college. Parents fussed, bought citizenship, now he is Romanian. Although he has never been to Romania, he does not know the Romanian language. Russians find different options to stay in Europe. Mostly cash options.

— Is the teaching in Finnish?

– Only in Finnish. Apparently, parents force their children to learn the language in advance, hire tutors. People get the basics, then they act. There is a girl in my group, she is only sixteen. She came to the country last year, combined Finnish school with college. She barely spoke Finnish. And now she talks like she was born here.

– These children do not want to go back to Russia?

– I do not know. I don’t think they want anything at all. Here we have guys studying, such gouging. Feeling like they don’t need anything. How they got here and why is unclear. They go to class every other day. They don’t really pick on them. And they are all up to the lantern.

“I will wash the entrances, get 1800 euros”

Is the topic of Ukraine still being discussed in Finland?

“I have good Finnish acquaintances, one is a former policeman, he is under forty, another is thirty, the third is under 35. So none of them has been talking about Ukraine for a long time.

From the Russian speakers who live here, I try to stay away. I can’t tell if this topic is important to them or not.

In Finland, when it all started, people clutched their heads. All TV channels broadcast news about Ukraine. Military exercises were held in the country. In the spring, I saw with my own eyes how jet planes flew overhead. Then everything passed. There is also no news on this topic on local television. But we have been exaggerating the scandal with the dancing prime minister for a long time, discussing some current Finnish or Western news, what Biden said or the funeral of the British queen. Locals are more afraid of another wave of coronavirus and monkeypox.

Finns live like nothing is happening. Everyone turned to their problems. I still have friends in Russia, the so-called liberals. But even they no longer discuss current events, they post jokes, cats, flowers on social networks. Problems with Schengen most of my compatriots are also not particularly worried. My countrymen in the Pskov region did not reach Pskov, what trips to Europe can we talk about?

— After obtaining citizenship, do you plan to stay in Finland or will you go to another country?

– Where should I go? Unless you move from here to Helsinki, there are more chances to find a job, and it’s more fun in the capital. Although I’m not sixteen, nightclubs, entertainment have long been a light bulb.

My region has a high unemployment rate. Jobs are few and competition is high. First of all, Finns will be hired for the vacancy, because they know the language better. There are many more jobs in Helsinki or Turku. There you can get a job with knowledge of only English. In my city it is necessary to know Finnish.

I live in a forest area. Previously, locals were engaged in forestry, now more emphasis is placed on ecology. Sawmills are closing, jobs are being cut. Many stores have closed due to the coronavirus. Only a branch of the Valio factory remained, where cheese and butter are made. More jobs can be found in the social sphere, administration and police, the situation with employment is one to one, as in the Pskov region.

But so far I have not thought about moving to another country. The main thing is to get citizenship. And then I can even go as a janitor. I will wash the entrances, get my 1800 euros and live in peace.

In general, I have nothing to complain about. How is my day going? I wake up early, at six o’clock. I drink coffee, I smoke a cigarette. I go to the bus stop. I’m going to college. I write songs in the evenings. I live almost in the forest, it’s beautiful, but deserted. At 9 pm – lights out. Something like this…