Paul Goble reports:
The FSB has opened a criminal case against Karelians who have distributed leaflets calling for their land to be re-attached to Finland, a campaign Russian security services say reflects shortcomings in anti-extremist efforts but one others in that northern region argue is the result of the failure of officials to keep the heat on in local buildings. At the end of last week, German Shtadler, the head of the Karelian procuracy, announced that the FSB had brought the case after some unknown group distributed leaflets in the Sortavalsk district calling on people there to push for a referendum on transferring their district from Russia to Finland.
No one has yet been arrested – although the local media suggested that the Finnish organization Pro Karelia which seeks the return of territory seized by Stalin after the Winter War — but once someone is, Shtadler said, he or she will be charged under Article 280 of the Russian criminal code which sets punishments for those who call for carrying out extremist actions. According to the prosecutor, Karelia “in recent times” has become a favorable breeding ground for “extremist manifestations,” with some of them rooted in ethnic clashes with Gastarbeiters from the North Caucasus as in Kondopoga and Kuitezha and others the reflection of the efforts to union leaders to press for higher wages and better working conditions.
Shtadler explained this trend by pointing to what he said were “essential failures in prophylactic work concerning extremist threats,” including ones committed by the organs of local self-administration although at least in the republic press reporting, he did not give any specifics about these “shortcomings.” But another local politician, Lyudmila Afanasyeva, who is a member of the Karelian legislature, provided another reason why some people in the region might be interested in having their district transferred from Russia to Finland: They are cold and do not have confidence that the Russian authorities will help them.
Afanasyeva told the press that she herself is a resident of Sortavaly and understands its problems. “I am forced to work with students eight house a day in a room which is heated only to six degrees centigrade (43 degrees Fahrenheit) and then run home to my cold apartment where I live with two invalids.” Not surprisingly, given the prominent coverage these charges and the 10,000-strong demonstration in Kaliningrad over the weekend have received in the Moscow media, some Russian opposition commentators have extrapolated from what be locally specific and relatively small actions.
Anatoly Baranov, the chief editor of the communist-oriented FORUM.msk website, for example, said that he was “delighted” that prosecutors in Karelia were so concerned with “the chief thing, the souls of the citizens” rather than their “frail bodies which in the name of high patriotic principles can freeze a little.” After all, he continued, “spring will come” to the North Russian eventually. And he added that in his view, “the procuracy and the FSB of the Karelian Republic had shown a remarkable gift for seeing where things are headed.” Soon, he said, Russian officials are likely to bring charges of extremism against anyone calling for a referendum on anything. Indeed, he suggested ironically, “it is already time to initiate criminal cases concerning extremist calls to observer the [Russian Federation] Constitution.” After all, that document guarantees citizens the right to seek and conduct referenda on any and all issues of concern to the Russian people.
Meanwhile, Petr Khomyakov, a radical nationalist critic of Moscow who now lives as a political exile in Ukraine, argued in an online commentary that the events in Karelia show that “it is physically impossible to live in the Russian Federation” and that the country will begin to come apart this year. He suggested that it is important not to view the Karelian case as an isolated one. Not long ago, he recalled, some people in Stavropol raised the possibility of separating from the Russian Federation and joining Belarus. That effort was dismissed in Moscow as the work of “urban madmen.”
But Khomyakov, without providing any sources, said that there is evidence that many influential people in that southern federal subject agreed with the call and that there were “analogous tendencies” in Belgorod and Kuban, where some want to unite with Ukraine, and in Smolensk, where at least a few residents want to join Belarus. But these are sideshows, he suggested, from the rise of separatist attitudes in Siberia, attitudes that Khomyakov suggested reflect the wave of technogenic disasters and environmental pollution that enormous region has suffered recently and Moscow’s neglect of its social, economic and political problems. The exiled commentator recalls the old Soviet anecdote about a lecture on the question, “Is there life on Mars?” One of the members of the audience said that “on Mars, it is possible that there is life.” But then he asked, “But when will that be the case in the USSR?” These are questions, he said, that ever more Russians are now asking about Russia.
La Russophobe 
Interesting (a redundant adjective with Paul Goble’s blog).
Ethnic Karelians can’t be driving this, as they’re barely a tenth of the republic’s population and are overwhelmingly rural. As for Finland, well, the city of Vyborg/Viipuri still evokes some passion among them (or at least nostalgia), but every Finn I’ve spoken to or read sounds less enthusiastic about annexing Karelia than Americans do about annexing Haiti or the Yucatan. The fact that it’s a toxic slum is the best argument against irredentism; put bluntly, it can’t survive on its own, and who the hell wants such a headache except Moscow with its fetish for geographic size at any cost?
The point is that ordinary average Russians feel this way. Again, interesting. The Caucasus will always burn, and losing Kaliningrad and the maritime far east is only a matter of time, but for such discontent so close to Muscovy and so soon is remarkable, even if it is crushed. As recently as two years ago, I wasn’t expecting police action to be necessary until the ’20s at least.
Karelia was a beautiful place before RuSSians stole it after raping and murdering its people who lived there for centuries (those unlucky who couldn’t escape RuSSian butchers to West of Finland). Its tiny towns, Viipuri (Vyborg), Käkisalmi and Sortavala were very beautiful Finnish towns but are now destroyed by RuSSians. The lake Lagoda used to be a nice, clean lake but is now polluted by RuSSians.
Karelia today is a very poor place and destroyed by RuSSians. The original inhabitants are murdered by RuSSians and those who survived lives today in Finland. Only a few of them want to go back to Karelia. Annexing Karelia is not a good idea for Finland, it should be rebuild and Finland has already big problems with RuSSians, most of them are lazy, unemployed vodka-drinkers who can’t speak Finnish or Swedish (not even English). Many of them are prostitutes and criminals. Fortunately it’s possible to travel to Karelia where many Finns used to live their childhood in peace and happiness before RuSSian animals came.
As a Finnish person with family roots at the “ceded” Karelia, where these leaflets are distributed, I’m totally against the region to be reattached into Republic of Finland.
400.000 Finnish people were evacuated from the “ceded” Karelia into other parts of the Finland when Stalin and his bolshevik thugs stole Karelian Isthmus from Finland.
New people from ww2 destroyed parts of Soviet Union (Ukraine, Belarus, inner Russia etc) were lucky enough to be resettled into nice, neat Finnish towns and farms.
They had no prior connection to this land, they were not Karelians. Karelians are Finnish people, some 60.000 Karelians live at Karelian Republic, which is mostly invaded by Soviet Slavs. No Karelians live at “ceded” Finnish territory. Those people have no connection to Finnish people, nor to the land they are living. Full stop.
Little more than 70 years of Russian crimes against Finland has now passed. Region is totally destroyed, farms are pushing up daisies, towns are in ruins, even Finnish cemetaries are destroyed (literally, some are even digged up, gravestones used as building materials etc).
Now these people think we should bail them out and help them ? Allow them in Finland ? Think again. I hope they dont freeze and have better life. That life will not be in Finland.
Dear Wilhelm K. ,
Thank you for for bringing out another example of a genocide orchestrated by the uncivilized pagan barbarians in the kremlin. Please do not equate UKRAINIANS with moskali.
The point is that millions of UKRAINIANS were deported from UKRAINE and forced to live in russia (and other parts of the USSR), and most of the UKRAINIANS (millions) that were sent to the GULAGS (millions) were exiled from UKRAINE and forced to live in russia (and other parts of the USSR).
Meanwhile, the uninhabited furnished UKRAINIAN houses, with the cultivated UKRAINIAN land and orchards were given to russians because millions of UKRAINIANS were massacred during the HOLODOMOR and many UKRAINIANS were deported from UKRAINE and forced to live in russia (and other parts of the USSR), and most of the UKRAINIANS (millions) that were sent to the GULAGS were exiled from UKRAINE and forced to live in russia (and other parts of the USSR).
The transit death rate of Ukrainians in winter deportation to the gulags, in cattle cars, was reported as high as 50%.
Neither bullets nor gas chambers were needed in the kremlin’s death camps. A third of the prisoners died each year from cold, starvation or disease in the concentration camps.
PS More info on the HOLODOMOR at:
AND
“Its tiny towns, Viipuri (Vyborg), Käkisalmi and Sortavala were very beautiful Finnish towns but are now destroyed by RuSSians. ”
Well, the pre-WWII Viipuri with its over 80000 inhabitants was no doubt “tiny” if you compare it to, say, Lenigrad/St Petersburg. Nevertheless, it used to be the second largest town in the pre-war Finland and in many respects unique. For example, the town was the only Finnish town having been surrounded by a stone wall during the Middle Ages. And its “Middle-European” old town actually was (is) the only full-bodied representative of its kind in Finland. The town’s population was also exceptionally multinational compared to the rest of the country: Germans, Jews and (yes) Russians forming flourishing minorities. Still, the overwhelming majority of its population consisted always (that means, ever since it was founded during the Middle Ages) of Finnish-Karelians. Of course, that did not restrain the Soviet authorities from calling it for “an ancient Russian town” after the WWII…
Correct. Viipuri was indeed the second biggest city in Finland and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It was also the center of administration and trade for the Eastern parts of Finland. Unfortunately, RuSSian butchers bombed and destroyed Viipuri and today the city is in ruins.
The same sad story happened all over Karelia, Finnish villages and homes were destroyed by RuSSians after raping and murdering its inhabitants. Sadly, the old, beautiful Finnish Karelia don’t exist anymore.
::Of course, that did not restrain the Soviet authorities from calling it for “an ancient Russian town” after the WWII…::
Soviet/Russian history writing has allways been rather flexible..
Just think of the so-called Leningrad region.. Why is city of St. Petersburg located in the middle of Leningrad region ?
Before Bolshevik revolution province was known as Ingria / Ingermanland.
Majority of population was Finnish, better known as Ingermanland Finns. Where did couple hundredt housend Finns disappear by year 1937 ?
Westward movement of the genocidal Bolsheviks continued 2 years later, 1939 , when they launch cowardly attack against Finns at Karelian Isthmus. Luckily Finland was able to evacuate 400.000 Finns into other parts of Finland. Otherwise they would have shared the destiny of the Ingrians (whom apparently dont exist in Russian history writing even today).
Truth is that even the capital of Tsaristic Russian Empire was located at ethnic Finnish land. Those Finns simply “disappeared” under the Bolshevik regime. “Final Solution” in Europe before the Nazi’s.
The web page of Leningrad Region does not mention anything about the genocide of the Ingrians:
http://eng.lenobl.ru/history/1917-1940
St. Petersburg continues to stand on Leningrad Region.. Ingria does not exist, Viipuri is ancient Russian city, cover up continues.
La Russophobe should ask some questions concerning this…
The First All-Union Census of the Soviet Union in 1926 recorded 114,831 Leningrad Finns, as Ingrian Finns were called.[2] The 1926 census also showed that the Russian population of central Ingria had outnumbered the Finnic peoples living there, but in Northern Ingria Ingrian Finns formed the majority.[4]
The Izhorian language in the early 1930s was taught in the schools of the Soikinsky Peninsula and the area around the mouth of the Luga River.[2]
In 1928 collectivization of agriculture started in Ingria. To facilitate it, in 1929-1931, 18,000 people (4320 families), kulaks (independent peasants) from North Ingria, were deported to East Karelia, the Kola Peninsula as well as Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
The situation for the Ingrian Finns deteriorated further when in the fall of 1934 the Forbidden Border Zone along the western border of the Soviet Union was established, where nobody could appear without special permission issued by NKVD. It was officially only 7.5 km deep initially, but along the Estonian border it extended to as much as 90 km. The zone was to be free of Finnic and some other peoples, who were considered politically unreliable.[4][9] On March 25, 1935, Genrikh Yagoda authorized a large-scale deportation targeting Estonian, Latvian and Finnish kulaks and lishentsy residing in the border regions near Leningrad. About 7,000 people (2,000 families) were deported from Ingria to Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the Ural region. In May and June 1936 the entire 20,000 Finnish population of the parishes of Valkeasaari, Lempaala, Vuole and Miikkulainen near the Finnish border were resettled to the areas around Cherepovets and Siberia in the next wave of deportations. In Ingria they were replaced with people from other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly Russians, but also Ukrainians and Tatars.[2][4]
In 1937 Lutheran churches and Finnish and Izhorian schools in Ingria were closed down and publications and radio broadcasting in Finnish and Izhorian were suspended.
Both Ingrian Finnish and Izhorian populations all but disappeared from Ingria during the Soviet period. 63,000 fled to Finland during World War II, and were required back by Stalin after the war. Most became victims of Soviet population transfers and many executed as “enemies of the people”.[4][9][2] The remainder, including some post-Stalin returnees (it was not until 1956 that some of the deported were allowed to return to their villages), were outnumbered by Russian immigration.
The 1959 census recorded 1062 Izhorians; in 1979 that number had fallen to 748, only 315 of them around the mouth of the Luga River and on the Soikinsky Peninsula. According to the Soviet census of 1989, there were 829 Izhorians, 449 of them in Russia (including other parts of the country) and 228 in Estonia.[2]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, surviving Ingrian Finns and their Russified descendants have been allowed to emigrate to Finland. This has led to the birth of a sizable Russophone minority in Finland.
Ari,
You can and you SHOULD restore Finnish Karelia to its old glory by getting rid of the barbarians called Russians. Look what they have done to Konigsburg, this pearl of the Baltic, the home of Emmanuel Kant, and one of the oldest hanseatic cities in Europe – they turn it into the public toilet where 80 percent of Russians are HIV positive – hopefully both places will joint the civilized Europe soon.
Königsberg is another good example of RuSSian barbarism. It was also a very beautiful Prussian university town before RuSSian butchers destroyed it.
The Russians and their little brothers have turned into dumps every city they have occupied. But sadly there is nothing that can be done to reverse what happened. Neither Finland nor Germany want to take those territories back and get flooded with hundreds of thousands of Russian/Ukrainian/Belarussian immigrants.
A,
Nice trying to justify Russian expansionism, barbarity and filth, but it’s not going to work. Those territories sooner rather than later will be returned to the rightful owners, in spite of Russian devastation. By the way, shouldn’t Russians go back home – they so much love mother Russia. May I suggest the famous and priceless real estate pieces called the gulags. They marched there before, without resistance, to those slaughter houses built for them by their own government – they belong there.
When did I “justify Russian expansionism, barbarity and filth”? Would you like your country to suddenly be flooded with hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants who don’t speak your language and are unable and unwilling to integrate in your society? Don’t you think the Finns and Germans already have enough Russian immigrants as it is? Ask Ari Virtanen, Dix and Wilhelm K.
A. : […]
It seemed to me you said you’re Romanian. Am i correct?
Therefore they should go home east – they have millions of miles of perma frost to settle down.
Oh, those impatient finnish boys.
Do you know, who were the original ‘barbarians’?
Right – mostly the Germanic tribes.
And now, look, Germans are perfectly well and developed.
So give us a little more time, and you’ll be impressed with the change. Maybe your own granddauther will be applying for a job at the Vyborg central bordello.
No Ouch, all the whore positions in Europe and Russia are filled by Russian girls.
The original and longest lived barbarians are Russians.
The Finnish boys are right, Russian culture is like a cancer contaminating all it touches.
Finnish women, children and even little babies have already been raped and murdered by you RuSSian barbarians so many times during the last centuries. Finnish women are cultured, multilingual and have good jobs with high salary not only in Finland but all over Western-Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and nowadays also in Japan, China and India. Nobody wants to go to RuSSia. Thank God they don’t need to work as prostitutes like RuSSian women.
Your HIV-positive daughters, sisters and mothers are already all over Europe and Asia working as prostitutes and pole dancers. You will find them in the streets and night clubs here. Oh well, and they also work in Vyborg anno 2010. Every single hotel and market in destroyed Vyborg is full of RuSSian prostitutes.
Ari Virtanen, what are you whimpering about? Russians have Finn’s Karelia and Finns have Russian’s wifes and daughters. Is not it fair somehow? So why you must to be such a crybaby? Or bj natasha gave you day before was not good enough? Then just let her pimp know. Next time she will polish you cock as if her life depends on it.
Actually Vyborg is far from beeing destroyed.
As you see life goes on even without those poor 400000 Finns.
Yes, Historical Center has been partially repaired by Finnish money.
Oh, Finns are generous people indeed.
How much did they spent on it, can you tell me?
Everything you see on that picture. You think there is anyone else interested about Viipuri ? Moscow ? Russia ? Rotflmao.
Those buildings are part of Finnish national heritage and we dont want to see you totally destroy them.
Like Viipuri Library, designed by Finnish architect legend Alvar Aalto:
http://www.alvaraalto.fi/viipuri/restorat.htm
Pretty much anything interesting at Viipuri is Finnish legacy, Soviet Slavs have mainly been destroying that legacy. This included fex. destroying Finnish cemetaries. Case example, google : Sorvali cemetary .
Finnish business, like constructor SRV has invested roughly 50 million € to Viipuri last few years. Finnish corporations own Karelia anyway, this should not be any news if you are from the region.
Thanks for the answer, Wilhelm.
As it’s seen from the link you provided, Russia spends on the library about the same money as Finland. I do appreciate Finnish efforts, though i doubt that EUR 550000 in 10 years deserve mighty words you use.
Finnish business – they are mostly welcome. I don’t understand what you actually wanted to say mentioning that.
That 550K€ is just for one library. Anyhow, I wasnt that much speaking about charity. I ment it is Finnish companies that are driving the development of the region. Like SRV I mentioned. They have invested that 50m€ into Viipuri alone, just in few years. You posted pic about Old Viipuri skyline and said that it is not in ruins.
It is not because Finnish companies are investing and fixing it, obviously there is something for them to gain. Russia has very little to do with that.
Main income of Viipuri is Finnish tourism. Bakery is owned by Fazer, largest asembbler is Finnish Helkama Froste etc. Viipuri and infact most of “Russian” Karelia is dependant from Finland.
There has been accusations about “Finnish Colonialism” , which is ofcource complete nonsense. Finns can not colonialise Finnish land. We just dont need that border transfer and then be officially liable for the life of those people living there.
If it would only consists of the REAL Karelians, no problems. Real Karelians however are small minority in their own land now. Frightening example of the hazards of immigration.
If those Sortavalas and Käkisalmis would be allowed to join Finland, what would happend next ? St. Petersburg joins ? Archangelsk joins ? No, not can do.
Example of typical Finnish project at Viipuri:
http://www.srv.fi/property_development/property_dev_references/property_dev_reference?id=11680440
Mr. Ouch,
Judging from your rude remarks about bordello,you must be Russian/Eurasian [with KGB background] most probably from Pechora region, Magnitogorsk, Magadan – you know, one of those sinister places were majority of Russians lives with no running water, no electricity,no gas, sick, hungry, on their knees. You probably came to the same conclusion as I did – you Russians were treated better by your Mongol masters than by your own Russian government.
Russia will collapse like the Soviet Union,then Karelia will be independent or join Finland. DEATH FOR THE RUSSIAN VAMPIRE-EMPIRE
Carelia belongs to Finland and has to be returned to its rightful owner! Also illegally russian-occupied Seto counties have to be returned to Estonia and Abrene – to Latvia!
And Sochi to Georgia.
“Russia spends on the library about the same money as Finland. I do appreciate Finnish efforts, though i doubt that EUR 550000 in 10 years deserve mighty words you use.”
Let’s see: from Finland c. 530 000 € vs. from Russia c. 413 000 €.
That is, tiny Finland pays more than “mighty” Russia in order to restore a library by world famous architect Alvar Aalto in Viipuri. And this even though the library is situated within the present-day borders of RF! What about this http://www.gov.karelia.ru/News/2006/03/0317_16_e.html ?
Finland has already paid over 200 million €uros during the last years to its fascist, Eastern neighbor state. Finland should stop sending more money to that poor fascist state before Karelia gets its indepence or will reunite Finland (eventhough nobody in Finland wants that) without RuSSians.
I heard this fine analogy from a friend of mine:
You own a very nice Mercedes-Benz, luxury class. Then some dude comes along, points a gun to your head and demands the keys. You are forced to give out the keys, the guy droves away.
He goes all around telling that you actually gave the keys, he didnt stole anything. Infact the car was his all the time, you just lend it for a while.
He completely trashes the car, it becomes a complete wreck, net worth negative. Then he packs his exented family in to the car, including his 11 ragamuffin nephews, droves the car to your parkinglot. Throws the keys to you and says: Fix the car and feed my family!
This is exactly the situtation with Karelian Isthmus, Russia and Finland.
Plot thickens:
Chairman of the Karelian Congress, Anatoly Grigoryev calls Karelian Republic to join Finland as autonomy if Russian Federation tries to change the status of Republic. I think the secret behind these leaflets is revealing itself:
State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov suggested abolition of the RF’s subjects that are unable to provide their own income…
Gryzlov would like to combine Karelia, Murmansk and Leningrad region as one entity.. Basically making Karelian Republic obsolete.
http://stolica.onego.ru/news/134959.html
I like this blog..Very useful.
Reminds me of an old joke (from the 80-s). Estonians are asking Moscow for independence. If not forever – just for a day. If not for a day – just for an hour!
Moscow bosses are puzzled, why would one need independence for an hour?
Estonian answer: we will declare war on Finland and surrender!
Looks like Karelia may be following the same path. Independence for an hour – war with Finland – surrender.
Разделяй жuдов и властвуй!
XX!!88
Aleks, now that’s really good idea. I mean the ‘to part’ thing. It seems Jews likes when Russian girls parts their legs. You can find proof of it in any Israeli whorehouse.
Aleks,
Zdzes ne nada pisac na etom sobachom jazykie – eto niet obosrana rasija.
Сначало было сЛоВо:Да y Aleksa Donskiego
——————————————————————————–
Сначало было слово сΛоVоΔа
И сЛоБоДа была у сЛоБоДян
И сЛоВяне были сВоБоДны как БОГИ с БОГИНЯМИ
слово Słowianie (Словени (стсл. – Словѣнє (Slověne), укр. – Слов`яни, срп. – Словени (Sloveni), свн. – Slovani, пол. – Słowianie, чеш. – Slované, свк. – Slovania, каш. – Słowiónie) – происходит от SLOBODANE=SVOBODANE=svobodní
Slovak. SLOBODА что означает SVOBODA
Russk. сЛоБоДа т.е. село для свободных людей
сΛоBоΔа=сΛоβоΔа=сΛоБоДа=сЛоБоДа=sLoBoDa
сΛоBоΔа=сΛоβоΔа=с ΛоБоДа=сЛоБоДа=sLoBoDa=sΛoBoDa>Λ>V=sVoBoDa=сВоБоДа
Первоначально было слово “сЛоВоДа”, потом его “перевратили” в слово “сЛоБоДа”, и наконец чтобы совсем “замутить” превернули быквы Λ>V, получили слово “сVоБоДа”=”сВоБоДа”
Так зменило из-за латины на грец. писмо.
писмено “β” или “В”- цо то эст?
СВОБОДА=СЛОБОДА
“Б” или “В”?
сΛоVо=СЛОВО=słоwо
Тому же все етимологие были немци=жuды то:
жванили якобы СЛОVЯНИ нибы то иде од “слоvо” или “слаwа”.
Алекс Донский: же СЛОVЯНИ йиде од “Свобода”=”wольнощь”
Macedonian: слобода (slóboda)
Polish: wolność ., swoboda
Croatian: sloboda
Bosnian: sloboda
Czech: svoboda
Slovak: sloboda
Scottish Gaelic: saorsa
Slovene: svoboda
Russian: свобода (svobóda)
Serbian: слобода
Български: свобода
буг. – Славяни, рус., бел. – Славяне, хрв., бос. – Slaveni, – SCLAVI
Речь о Свободных Людях, а не о Славах.
Меняйте название
П°онял
Мне больше нравится: Словени = Свободные Люди;;; и слобода (slóboda)
А нe: Славяни = Славы
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