Finland is wondering: what happened in several apartments and private houses of Finnish MPs? The details that are gradually coming to light are reminiscent of a spy thriller. We are talking about secret visits to homes, without theft, without signs of a break-in, but either with the door left open or with the light left on.
Several MPs have reported mysterious break-ins in their homes to the Finnish Parliament's security service. As a result, the parliament's administration has asked all MPs. "I can't say exactly how many suspicious cases are known, but the number is certainly significant," said the speaker of the Finnish parliament, Jussi Halla-aho, at a press conference on the case.
"There were traces left in the apartments that the deputies probably didn't pay attention to right away. It's possible that these traces were left intentionally so that the occupant would notice them," Halla-aho also said. There is still no information about the motive or the perpetrator.
The topic is in the spotlight not only in Finland, but also in neighboring Sweden. Johan Matz conducts research at Lund University on the activities of secret services. The method is well known, he said in an interview with Swedish radio. "This is a pattern that we have seen for a long time in totalitarian, undemocratic countries. Often in these countries, opposition figures or critical journalists are subjected to such harassment."
"Don't forget you're being watched"
Others recall Soviet times, when this kind of home visits were common practice for foreign journalists as well, as long-time Moscow correspondent Malcolm Dixelius told Swedish Radio. "It happened so often that we actually got used to it. When someone was away from home for a long time, there was always someone in the apartment who had looked around to leave traces - sometimes discreetly, sometimes quite clearly. The message was: We were here. Don't do anything stupid. Don't forget you're being watched. We know what you're doing."
The police have already opened an investigation into the current cases in Finland. "It is very important for us that every affected MP files a complaint", said Deputy Speaker of Parliament Paula Risiko. All parliamentarians must report any unusual events in their homes and contact the parliamentary security department.
Is Moscow behind this?
Is Russia behind the mysterious home visits? For now, that is a speculation expressed by several media outlets. The Finnish government is reluctant to take a firm position at the moment, although Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's statement on the current events sounds as if it is also directed at the large neighboring country to the east: "If someone tries to undermine Finland, our sense of security or our support for Ukraine, for example, it will have exactly the opposite effect," Orpo said. This strengthens the cohesion both in the parliament and in Finland as a whole.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb called the cases "an attack on democracy". "This cannot be tolerated in any form, let alone accepted. I stand behind every MP." Just a few days ago, Stubb sent a completely different message. "We must not succumb to any provocation from Russia," he warned in an interview with the American television channel Fox News. Instead, he recommended a little more calm and - a bit jokingly - a visit to a Finnish sauna.