Finland eased sanctions against the Russian center to pay taxes

In March, the center's accounts with the Finnish bank Nordea were blocked, but later the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs allowed the RCSC to pay real estate taxes . In April, the building of the center was arrested for one day - the decision was canceled, without finding grounds for the arrest of Helsinki

The Russian Center for Science and Culture (RCSC) in Helsinki was eased with sanctions and allowed to pay taxes, the Finnish portal Verkkouutiset reports, citing documents received by Talouselämä magazine.

The Center submitted an application for easing sanctions in March, in June a decision was made on it by the Finnish Foreign Ministry, it was also approved by the European Union. On its basis, the RCSC was able to pay property taxes in the amount of €20,000. Moreover, at first these funds were seized by law enforcement agencies, but then the arrest was lifted based on the June decision of the foreign diplomatic department.

An email from embassy adviser Mika Mickelsson stated that the reason for the easing of sanctions was the condition of the sanctions regulation of the EU Council, according to which exemptions can be made for entities subject to restrictions due to the need to meet “basic needs, such as paying taxes.”

RBC turned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in Finland for comment.

According to Talouselämä, the RCSC was under the influence of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Talouselämä reported in March that the center's accounts at the Finnish bank Nordea were blocked, citing EU sanctions over the Russian military operation in Ukraine as the reason for this .

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Less than three weeks later, the Finnish authorities seized the land and building of the RCSC, as well as seven apartments in Helsinki, three of which are in close proximity to the center and which were associated with persons involved in the EU sanctions lists.

However, the arrest was lifted a day later. Aki Virtanen, the HEAD of the debt collection department (it was the agency that imposed the arrest), said that “there were no grounds for seizure.”

In May, Russia imposed restrictions on the use of accounts by the Finnish embassy and its consulate general in St. Petersburg . “These actions are a mirror response to similar restrictions on Russian foreign missions in this country, which can only use an account in one of the Finnish banks,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova .