What Happens If Russia Attacks Finland's Åland Islands?
Finland's Åland islands have been demilitarized for over a century as part of a peace treaty with Russia. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine, though, the agreement has come under intense scrutiny. Protests are held almost daily in front of the Russian Consulate in the capital city of the autonomous territory.
By Anna-Sophie Schneider in Mariehamn, Åland
Spiegel International
06.07.2023, 17.44 Uhr
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A protest in front of the Russian Consultate in Mariehamn: "Putin go home!"
Foto: Anna-Sophie Schneider / DER SPIEGEL
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A peak into the windows of Mariehamn is a look into the past. The buildings in the capital of the Åland Islands are made of wood, the windows so old that the glass "has survived world wars," as Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark says. The director of the Åland Peace Institute likes to talk about the decades-old windows – because they prove that the Ålands are islands of peace and remain so to this day.
The Åland archipelago belongs to Finland, but it is largely autonomous. During the Crimean War in the 19th century, Britain, France and Russia fought over the territory. In 1856, as a result of the peace negotiations, an international agreement stipulated the demilitarization of the islands for the first time and Russia committed to refrain from fortifying the islands. In World War I, Russia again stationed troops on Åland, with the agreement of its allies Britain and France. But in 1921, demilitarization was restored. From that point on, the archipelago was not to be attacked, and neither was it permitted to station military equipment there. All sides adhered to the agreement, which is the reason the windows in the wooden buildings are intact to this day, despite two world wars. "If Åland had ever been attacked and bombed, they would have been broken," says Åkermark.
The peace researcher is confident that Åland will remain an archipelago of peace in the future due to its special status. But people are less certain in the Finnish capital Helsinki.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Finns feel confirmed in their distrust of their neighbor Russia. And they have drawn consequences: Finland officially joined NATO in April 2023. However, the Åland Islands remain demilitarized. And that now leaves some Finns wondering: What happens if Russia attacks the islands?
The "Achilles Heel of the Finnish Defense"
Critics see the demilitarization of the archipelago as a weakness that the Russians could exploit. Former Finnish presidential adviser Alpo Rusi even called the Åland islands the "Achilles' heel of Finland’s defense." Several members of parliament are also openly questioning the territory's status. But experts warn that arming the archipelago could have unforeseen consequences. No one knows how Russia would react given that the demilitarization of the archipelago was once a condition for Moscow's recognition of Finland's borders.
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The Åland autonomous territory: Culturally, the islands are closer to Sweden. Politically, though, they are Finnish.
Foto: Anna-Sophie Schneider / DER SPIEGEL
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The Åland archipelago in the Baltic Sea is located in a geographically important place. At the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and the Finnish mainland, there are over 6,700 islands and islets, of which only 65 are inhabited. Åland is as strategically important as the Swedish island of Gotland, which lies in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia. It was once said that whoever has power over Gotland and Åland has power over the entire sea.
For centuries, the great powers of the Baltic Sea fought for supremacy on Åland. Several compromises eventually led to the settling of the conflict. One was that, in 1940, Moscow was allowed to establish a consulate in Mariehamn. Russian diplomats monitor whether the demilitarization is being observed. And they are still doing so today, even though Russia is simultaneously waging a war against Ukraine that violates international law. Many Finns are now asking, critically, whether it is right for Russia to monitor compliance with an international agreement while breaking international law every day only a few thousand kilometers away.
Dispute Brewing over Russian Consulate
Nowhere is the dispute over the future of the Åland Islands more visible than at the Russian Consulate, located on the main street in Mariehamn is hard to miss the Russia flag flying in front of the diplomatic mission. Across the street, residents have hoisted a Ukrainian flag, and a round peace sign made of wire has been installed in a grassy area.
Almost 40,000 people have now signed a petition demanding the closure of the Russian Consulate in Åland. "It is ridiculous that a Russian institution is supposed to be monitoring compliance with international treaties," says Finnish reservist Jonas Back. He grew up on the mainland and moved to Åland for love. Back is certain that Moscow is using the consulate in Åland to spy on Finland and not to keep the peace.
Former presidential adviser Rusi offers a similar view. Last year, he said that the consulate is part of the Russian espionage system in Finland. He points to a major raid in 2019 on Russian-held island properties off the coast of the Finnish city of Turku. The raids, he says, showed that Russian citizens had purchased many large plots of land on the archipelago and provided them with helipads and docks. Some of the properties were located extremely close to important shipping routes. Rusi suspects that the buildings were not tranquil holiday homes – and that they were instead intended to monitor Finland’s shipping traffic. Rusi would also prefer to close the consulate in Mariehamn sooner rather than later.
Special Status an Inherent Part of Identity
But not all Ålanders view the Russian presence on the archipelago so critically. Some are even protesting in front of the consulate, even though they want to keep it open. Like 72-year-old Mosse Wallen. It’s a sunny spring day, and the retired journalist is standing in front of the Russian Consulate holding up a poster. "Putin go home," it says in black letters.
And yet Wallen emphasizes: "We’re not protesting against the consulate. We’re protesting against the war." For many Ålanders, their special status is part of their identity. They fear that closing the Russian Consulate could call into question the entire Åland agreement – and thus the islands' autonomous status.
Since the beginning of the war, there has been a demonstration in front of the Russian Consulate every day. Sometimes, a handful of people turn up, sometimes dozens. Wallen counts the number of participants at each protest. He documented the record on the 366th day, the first Sunday after the anniversary of the Russian invasion. That day, 262 people demonstrated for peace. "And 20 dogs," he adds. The retired journalist counts the animal demonstrators. He says they're an integral part of the peaceful demos. The protests in front of the consulate in Mariehamn always proceed in the same way. The demonstrators chant for an end to the war and then for the release of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny. In the end, they sing the European anthem "Ode to Joy" in Swedish.
The demonstrators say that nothing ever happens in the consulate and that the windows remain dark. They say they haven’t seen the consul and his wife on the street since the war began, and that they are the only people who live in the consulate. If it were up to Wallen, the two Russia diplomats should continue to be allowed to do so. But he says the war against Ukraine must be stopped. "Closing the consulate would send a disastrous message," he says. "It would mean that Finland would be in violation of international treaties."
Peace researcher Åkermark also joins the protesters from time to time. She's also against the war – but she, too, wants Åland to remain a demilitarized zone. The West is only credible if it lives up to its own values, she says – and that means respecting international agreements once they have been concluded. So far, it cannot be proven that Russia has committed any wrongdoing on the island. She criticizes the fact that "people are portrayed as being naive who believe in international agreements that have been in place for years. If you take that argument to the extreme, there’s no reason to abide by a constitution anymore, either." And when that happens, she argues, society breaks down.
The decision as to whether Åland will remain a symbol of demilitarization or become a symbol of further escalation lies in Helsinki. The government there has so far stuck to the agreements, probably because doing anything else would be viewed as a provocation in Moscow. Then it’s possible that Finland would be in danger, not to mention the peace that has characterized Åland for so many years.
What Happens If Russia Attacks Finland's Åland Islands? - DER SPIEGEL |
