Russian oligarchs who own real estate in the country, can cooperate with the intelligence of the aggressor.
As Jukka Kopra, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Finnish Parliament, said in an interview with Ilta-Sanomat, the Russians have been buying various types of property in Finland for years, which, according to the Finnish counterintelligence SUPO, may pose a threat to the security of the country. After all, Russia used real estate in Ukraine for similar purposes on the eve of the invasion.
"This was systematic. They bought and rented apartments, houses, and real estate. When the invasion began, there were people in civilian clothes on the spot,” – he says.
The head of the defense committee of the Finnish parliament believes that no one is telling the Russian oligarchs to build villas or buy real estate for Putin – but they can do this on their own initiative, ostensibly as a service to the regime.
"It should be remembered that if the owner of the property is a Russian, a phone call or letter from the intelligence services is enough to transfer it to the state, regardless of whether how good intentions the private owner is guided by. They have the means to very quickly change Russian property abroad,” – says Kopra.
The Finnish deputy commented for Ilta-Sanomat on the information about Russian dachas located on the largest Finnish lake Saimaa – where, according to rumors, several years ago he came “for fishing” Vladimir Putin himself.
One of the plots on the shores of Lake Saimaa, according to IS, was purchased back in 2009 by Putin’s longtime friend, judge Viktor Khmarin, who built a summer house and a wooden villa there.
< p>Prepared by: Nina Petrovich