Russians in Finland
Encyclopedia
Russians in Finland constitute a linguistic and ethnic minority in Finland
. About 27,000 people have a citizenship of Russian Federation and Russian
is the mother language of about 48,000 people in Finland, which represents about 0.8% of the population.
Russians citizens who moved before the Second World War are called "Old Russians". The next immigration wave happened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
as Ingrian Finns
remigrated to Finland. At present, marriage and family ties are two other common reasons for Russians to immigrate Finland.
. To Grand Duchy of Finland
moved about 40,000 Russian
soldiers, civilian workers and businessmen about 600. When Finland
became independent many soldiers left the country to return home. Many businessman stayed, including the Sinebrychoff
family. During the Russian Revolution many aristocrat
s and officers fled to Finland
as refugee
. Biggest refugee wave was in 1922 when about 33,500 persons came to Finland. Many of them had Nansen passport
for many years. During the Kronstadt Rebellion
about 1,600 officers fled to Finland. Russian citizens who moved in these three waves are called "Old Russians" whose 3,000–5,000 descendants live in Finland at present.
A second major wave of immigration occurred after the fall of the Soviet Union. Many Russian guest workers came to Finland working in low-paying jobs. In the 1990s immigration to Finland
grew, and Russian-speaking population which were descendants of Ingrian Finns
immigrated to Finland. In the 2000s many nouveau riche
Russians have bought estates in Eastern Finland
.
According to Russian Embassy in Finland, there are about 50,000 Russian-speaking people in Finland. However in 2008 study of Aleksanteri Institute
, calculated 45,000 Russian-speaking people. According to Statistics Finland
, there were 48,740 Russian-speaking in 2008. However half of Russian-speaking immigrants are Ingrian Finns and other Finno-Ugric people
. In 2008, there were 26,909 people with a citizenship of Russian Federation – dual citizenships included. Furthermore there are people who have received only Finnish citizenship and Estonian Russians. Two most common reasons for immigration were marriage and descendant of Ingrian Finns.
newspaper Spektr was founded in 1998 and Russian language radio channel Radio Sputnik
(Russkoje Radio Helsinki) sends Russian language program.
Many small Russian Orthodox Church
s have been founded in around Finland.
reported in its Third report on Finland http://hudoc.ecri.coe.int/XMLEcri/ENGLISH/Cycle_03/03_CbC_eng/FIN-CbC-III-2007-23-ENG.pdf:
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. About 27,000 people have a citizenship of Russian Federation and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
is the mother language of about 48,000 people in Finland, which represents about 0.8% of the population.
Russians citizens who moved before the Second World War are called "Old Russians". The next immigration wave happened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
as Ingrian Finns
Ingrian Finns
The Ingrian Finns are the Finnish population of Ingria descending from Lutheran Finnish immigrants introduced to the area in the 17th century, when Finland and Ingria were both part of the Swedish Empire...
remigrated to Finland. At present, marriage and family ties are two other common reasons for Russians to immigrate Finland.
History
The first migratory wave of Russians began in the early 18th century as Finland was part of Swedish EmpireSwedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
. To Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
moved about 40,000 Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
soldiers, civilian workers and businessmen about 600. When Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
became independent many soldiers left the country to return home. Many businessman stayed, including the Sinebrychoff
Sinebrychoff
Sinebrychoff Brewery is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company. It was founded in 1819 in Helsinki, Finland by Russian colonist Nikolai Sinebrychoff , and is one of the largest breweries in Finland today. It has since become part of Carlsberg Breweries A/S....
family. During the Russian Revolution many aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
s and officers fled to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
as refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
. Biggest refugee wave was in 1922 when about 33,500 persons came to Finland. Many of them had Nansen passport
Nansen passport
Nansen passports were internationally recognized identity cards first issued by the League of Nations to stateless refugees.-Origins:Designed in 1921 by Fridtjof Nansen, in 1942 they were honored by governments in 52 countries and were the first refugee travel documents...
for many years. During the Kronstadt Rebellion
Kronstadt rebellion
The Kronstadt rebellion was one of many major unsuccessful left-wing uprisings against the Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War...
about 1,600 officers fled to Finland. Russian citizens who moved in these three waves are called "Old Russians" whose 3,000–5,000 descendants live in Finland at present.
A second major wave of immigration occurred after the fall of the Soviet Union. Many Russian guest workers came to Finland working in low-paying jobs. In the 1990s immigration to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
grew, and Russian-speaking population which were descendants of Ingrian Finns
Ingrian Finns
The Ingrian Finns are the Finnish population of Ingria descending from Lutheran Finnish immigrants introduced to the area in the 17th century, when Finland and Ingria were both part of the Swedish Empire...
immigrated to Finland. In the 2000s many nouveau riche
Nouveau riche
The nouveau riche , or new money, comprise those who have acquired considerable wealth within their own generation...
Russians have bought estates in Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia.- History :...
.
Population
| City | People | Increase in 2000–08 |
|---|---|---|
| Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... |
12,470 | 54,8% |
| Vantaa Vantaa Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there... |
3,958 | 138,3% |
| Espoo Espoo Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen.... |
3,029 | 95,0% |
| Turku Turku Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland... |
2,495 | 38,8% |
| Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... |
2,121 | 74,9% |
| Lahti Lahti Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki... |
1,787 | 50,7% |
| Lappeenranta Lappeenranta Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland... |
1,711 | 62,2% |
According to Russian Embassy in Finland, there are about 50,000 Russian-speaking people in Finland. However in 2008 study of Aleksanteri Institute
Aleksanteri Institute
The Aleksanteri Institute , is a special research division affiliated with the University of Helsinki, which is a centre of research of Eastern Europe and Russia for the country of Finland. It was founded in 1996. It has grown rapidly into a working community of around 50 scholars, including...
, calculated 45,000 Russian-speaking people. According to Statistics Finland
Statistics Finland
Statistics Finland is the national statistical institution in Finland, established on 4 November 1865 to serve as an information service and to provide statistics and expertise in the statistical sciences. The institution employes over 1000 experts from varying fields....
, there were 48,740 Russian-speaking in 2008. However half of Russian-speaking immigrants are Ingrian Finns and other Finno-Ugric people
Finno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
. In 2008, there were 26,909 people with a citizenship of Russian Federation – dual citizenships included. Furthermore there are people who have received only Finnish citizenship and Estonian Russians. Two most common reasons for immigration were marriage and descendant of Ingrian Finns.
Culture
Russian languageRussian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
newspaper Spektr was founded in 1998 and Russian language radio channel Radio Sputnik
Radio Sputnik
Radio Sputnik is a Finnish radio station with programming in the Russian language....
(Russkoje Radio Helsinki) sends Russian language program.
Many small Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
s have been founded in around Finland.
Accusations of racism
In 2007 the European Commission against Racism and IntoleranceEuropean Commission against Racism and Intolerance
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance is the Council of Europe’s independent human rights monitoring body specialised in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance. It consists of 47 experts, one from every CoE member state. ECRI publishes...
reported in its Third report on Finland http://hudoc.ecri.coe.int/XMLEcri/ENGLISH/Cycle_03/03_CbC_eng/FIN-CbC-III-2007-23-ENG.pdf:
Notable Russians in Finland
- Kirill Babitzin, musician
- Sammy BabitzinSammy BabitzinAleksandr "Sammy" Babitzin was a Finnish popular music singer, the brother of Kirka.Babitzin started his professional career in a band called The Stealers. Its line-up also included Remu Aaltonen. Babitzin sang in the group of Leo Lindblom under the pseudonym "Sammy-boy".Sammy Babitzin released...
, musician - Alexei EremenkoAlexei EremenkoAleksei Alekseyevich Yeryomenko is a Russian-born Finnish professional footballer who currently plays for Rubin Kazan in Russia, in-between studying Architecture at University of Strathclyde...
, footballer - Roman EremenkoRoman EremenkoRoman Alekseevich Eremenko is a Russian-born Finnish footballer who currently plays for FC Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League. He is best known for his time in Dynamo Kyiv, with whom he became leader, winning the Ukrainian Premier League title in 2009, and playing in the Champions and...
, footballer - George de GodzinskyGeorge de GodzinskyGeorge de Godzinsky was a Russian-born Finnish composer and conductor. Godzinsky is known from his Schlager music although he composed music for movies and operettas....
, composer - Viktor Klimenko, singer
- the SinebrychoffSinebrychoffSinebrychoff Brewery is a Finnish brewery and soft drinks company. It was founded in 1819 in Helsinki, Finland by Russian colonist Nikolai Sinebrychoff , and is one of the largest breweries in Finland today. It has since become part of Carlsberg Breweries A/S....
family - Oskar Stark, admiral
- Anna VyrubovaAnna VyrubovaAnna Alexandrovna Vyrubova, née Taneyeva , was a lady-in-waiting, best friend and confidante to Tsaritsa Alexandra Fyodorovna.-Early life:...
, socialite - Inna LatiševaInna LatiševaInna Latiševa is a Finnish-Russian business executive, who attracted the attention of the Finnish society with her book, in which she judges the Finnish society. In the book Ryssänä Suomessa she accuses Finns of anti-Russian sentiment.Latiševa moved to Finland from Leningrad in 1989 and worked as...
, Writer