Selling real estate to citizens of the neighboring country presents a national security risk, the defense minister has claimed
Most Russian citizens will be prohibited from buying property in Finland under a proposal announced by Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen on Monday. The ban will also apply to people “influenced” by Russia, Hakkanen’s office stated.
Finland has already blocked six real estate sales to Russians over the past year, on the grounds that the properties in question were located near military bases and other strategic sites.
The proposed ban would apply to “persons whose country of nationality has been found by the European Union to be in violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of another country or whose country of nationality may be a threat to Finland’s national security,” according to a statement posted on the Finnish Defense Ministry’s website.
This designation currently applies to…