Finland’s schools turn away from Russian language, culture as Ukraine war drags on

Finnish towns near Russian border plan to close schools offering Russian language and culture classes amid tensions

Two Finnish towns near the Russian border plan to close schools offering Russian language and culture classes, upsetting parents and students who say cross-cultural understanding is needed more than ever.

Also Read: Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Finland's relations with its powerful eastern neighbour have soured since Russia's 2022 invasion.

The war prompted Helsinki to reverse its decades-long policy of military non-alignment and join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in April 2023, a decision that angered Moscow.

Also Read: In Frames | Tough lessons from a war

When the towns of Lappeenranta and Joensuu announced this year they would close their two schools focusing on Russian language and culture due to a lack of resources, school representatives saw it as fallout from the rise of anti-Russian sentiment in Finland since the war in Ukraine.

The headmaster of the School of Eastern Finland, Katri Anttila, said town officials were no longer keen to maintain Russian language studies after the invasion.