The Helsingin Sanomat newspaper on May 17 quoted the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that Russia had frozen the accounts of Finnish diplomatic missions on its territory.

Finnish diplomats confirmed that the bank accounts of the Finnish Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in St. Petersburg have been frozen and cannot be used.

“The situation is serious. And this matter is being investigated,” the newspaper quoted a statement from the Finnish Foreign Ministry as saying. Finland has contacted the Russian authorities about the incident.

In late April, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree establishing a mechanism for temporarily taking over foreign assets in Russia in cases where other countries seize Russian private or government assets based on their jurisdiction, or there is a threat to Russia's national, energy or economic security.

Billions of dollars worth of state assets, along with the assets of Russian businessmen and officials, have been frozen in the EU since last year as part of sanctions against Moscow over its military campaign in Ukraine.

Last month, Helsinki imposed restrictions on Russian state assets in the Finnish capital. The Russian Center for Science and Culture’s account at the national bank Nordea was also frozen in March.

In January, the Finnish Foreign Ministry froze more than $202 million worth of Russian assets such as real estate, stocks, cars, yachts and planes.

Last week, Russian border control authorities began cancelling visas of Finnish citizens trying to enter Russia to go shopping and buy cheaper fuel.

(Source: Tin Tuc Newspaper/Helsingin Sanomat)