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Thursday, November 6, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/city-of-helsinki-files-lawsuit-against-russian-owned-helsinki-arena/

Finland

Helsinki moves to reclaim Finland’s largest ice hockey arena from Russian owners

Updated November 13, 2024, Published November 13, 2024 – By Ivana Bratovanova
Helsinki Halli, previously known as the Hartwall Arena.
2 minute read
Ivana Bratovanova
ivana.bratovanova@nordictimes.com

The City of Helsinki has filed legal action against the Helsinki Halli owners to terminate the lease agreement. The action comes after the arena’s Russian owners failed to pay rent totaling approximately 212,000 euros.

Helsinki Arena, formerly known as Hartwall Arena, has been closed since February 2022, following the escalation of the war in Ukraine. The arena’s Russian ownership, primarily held by Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg, is subject to European Union sanctions, which have disrupted its operations.

Since the sanctions were imposed, the arena’s maintenance company has struggled to meet electricity and heating bills. In early September, the arena’s power supply was turned off due to unpaid bills. "Since the outstanding payments are still unpaid, the City demands that the lease be terminated", a statement from the City of Helsinki said.

Despite this, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association was temporarily allowed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to pay the overdue electricity bills. However, the association decided not to proceed with this. Efforts to sell the arena have also been delayed by the sanctions. Several private parties, including former NHL player Teemu Selänne, have expressed interest in purchasing the venue.

However, these attempts have been unsuccessful due to the restrictions placed on the Russian owners. Under Finland's Enforcement Act, even if a sale were approved by Finland's National Enforcement Authority (Ulosottolaitos), the proceeds would be held until sanctions are lifted.

The City of Helsinki has now begun exploring the possibility of purchasing the stadium.

– This is an important step towards making the arena operational. The events industry in particular has lost a huge number of concerts while the arena has been out of use, said Deputy Mayor Paavo Arhinmäki.

He added that while the city prefers a voluntary sale, possible expropriation of the facility can be carried out if needed.

The City’s plan is to buy the arena temporarily and then potentially resell it to new owners after it has been restored to use.

Ivana Bratovanova
ivana.bratovanova@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finland-introduces-employment-requirement-for-citizenship/

Finland

Finland introduces employment requirement for citizenship

Published yesterday 3:58 pm – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

From December, those who rely solely on unemployment benefits or income support will no longer be able to obtain Finnish citizenship. During a two-year period, applicants may receive benefits for a maximum of three months.

The second phase of Finland's citizenship law reform now takes effect in December. The change means that citizenship can no longer be granted to people who support themselves solely through unemployment benefits or income support, i.e., social assistance, from Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland).

— Successful integration, employment, and respect for Finnish society's rules are conditions that must be met to be granted citizenship, says Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen in a press release.

In addition to the income requirement, the changes mean that those who do not actively contribute to establishing their identity cannot be granted citizenship. The conditions for loss of citizenship have also been tightened.

In practice, applicants must be able to support themselves financially without benefits for two years before they can begin the application process.

Strongly pushed the issue

During government negotiations, many parties agreed that the tightening was needed, and a majority of the current government strongly pushed the issue. However, the Swedish People's Party of Finland attempted to bring it down to a "reasonable level".

— This was politically an issue that the majority of the government very strongly pushed for, and where SFP tried as best we could to get it to a reasonable level somehow. But we were quite alone in that view, says Member of Parliament Sandra Bergqvist to Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

The tightening only applies to people of working age. The requirement for secure income does not apply to applicants under 18 years or people over 65 years.

For children, the law can still cause problems indirectly, since children usually apply for citizenship together with their guardian. If the guardian does not meet the income requirement, the child's application may also be rejected.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-region-loses-millions-in-revenue-after-border-closure-with-russia/

Finland

Finnish region loses millions in revenue after border closure with Russia

The new cold war

Published yesterday 9:21 am – By Editorial staff
The border crossing between Russia (Svetogorsk) and Finland (Imatra)
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Finnish region of South Karelia has been severely impacted economically since Finland closed its border with Russia at the end of 2023. Tourism revenue has decreased by approximately one million euros per day, and hotels, restaurants and shops stand empty.

South Karelia is located closer to St. Petersburg than to Helsinki, the Finnish capital, and has maintained extensive economic ties with Russia for decades.

The region's economy has been built on cross-border tourism, shopping, timber trade and local jobs within the forest industry.

Finland's decision to close the 1,430-kilometer land border with Russia was motivated by accusations that Moscow had deliberately created an increased migrant flow from Africa and the Middle East to Finland. Moscow has in turn dismissed the accusations as "completely groundless".

Impact on local businesses

Hotels, restaurants and shops in the region now stand largely empty, reports Bloomberg.

– Russian customers asked why we couldn’t stay open around the clock. They bought clothes in stacks – mostly the latest fashion and bling, but even winter coats were sold out by August, says Sari Tukiainen, who runs a shop in Imatra, a Finnish border town.

Due to decreased sales, Tukiainen plans to close the shop at the end of the year. Unemployment in Imatra has simultaneously risen to 15 percent, the highest in Finland, as factories and steel mills have reduced their workforce.

Historically, Finland has had a complex relationship with Russia. The country was part of the Russian Empire for over a century, and despite two wars with the Soviet Union during World War II, a friendly relationship was maintained during the Cold War.

After the war in Ukraine escalated in 2022, Finland was early to impose sanctions against Moscow. The country also abandoned its long-standing neutrality by joining the US-led military alliance NATO, a step that has further changed the economic and political dynamics in the region.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finnish-municipality-phases-out-ultra-processed-foods-in-schools/

Finland

Finnish municipality phases out ultra-processed foods in schools

Published November 3, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Bouillon cubes and ready-made sauce bases are to be replaced with natural ingredients in the schools of Sipoo, Finland. The changes are expected to be visible on the menus next year.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Finnish municipality of Sipoo is implementing comprehensive changes to school meals to reduce the use of ultra-processed foods. Bouillon cubes and ready-made sauce bases will be replaced with natural ingredients.

In August, the municipality formed an expert group consisting of the food service manager, purchasing manager, nutritional therapist, and meal development specialist – with the goal of developing clear guidelines to reduce the use of additives and ultra-processed foods in school meals.

The proposals the group has presented so far include eliminating bouillon cubes and industrial sauce bases and replacing them with salt, spices, and other natural ingredients. Cooking cream will be used to a much greater extent than vegetable fat.

The changes are expected to appear on school menus either in spring or fall of next year. Intensive work is currently underway to reformulate recipes for brown sauce, bolognese sauce, and chicken sauce.

— The cook and chill method, where food is prepared, cooled down, transported to schools and reheated, requires us to carefully test the products to ensure they also work when reheated in the serving kitchens. The food must taste at least as good as it does now, says Tiina Soikkeli, who has taken on the role of food service manager, to Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Municipal budget sets limits

If the new recipes work well, the municipality plans to continue revising more dishes, though there are financial constraints.

The municipality can only implement changes that do not incur additional costs. Products such as salad dressings, chicken nuggets, and meatballs will therefore retain their current versions.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/fewer-young-people-died-from-drugs-in-finland/

Finland

Fewer young people died from drugs in Finland

Published October 30, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Last year, 197 men died as a result of drug use, compared to 50 women.
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Significantly fewer young people died from drugs in Finland last year compared to the year before. At the same time, the number of drug-related deaths continues to increase in other age groups, where men still account for the majority of fatalities.

In Finland, the most common cause of drug-related deaths is the medication buprenorphine in combination with other drugs – something seen in both younger and older victims. Often it involves a mixture with, for example, benzodiazepines or alcohol. Amphetamine and the synthetic drug alpha-PVP are also not uncommon in fatal cases.

Primarily, it is men who die as a result of drugs, with 197 men dying from drug use last year compared to 50 women.

Last year, however, significantly fewer young people died than the year before in Finland. The largest decrease can be seen among men in the 20-24 age group, but also among the younger population, though what lies behind the decrease is unclear, says forensic chemist Pirkko Kriikku at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

— I cannot say with certainty why so many fewer young people died from drug poisoning in 2024, but it may be due to measures taken in municipalities and welfare regions to prevent deaths, she tells Finnish national broadcaster Yle and continues:

— I hope, of course, that this positive development continues.

The number of drug-related deaths continues to increase in other age groups, however. Among other things, an increase could be seen, primarily among men, in the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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