In Helsinki, they started talking about the abolition of the demilitarization of the Aland Islands, writes Der Spiegel. Why arm yourself? The Finnish authorities believe that the current status of the archipelago is the "Achilles heel" of their defense. But Helsinki does not dare to remilitarize with the removal of the Russian consulate: what if Moscow takes revenge?
Finland has no right to deploy military units on the Aland Islands. But after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, this provision has been seriously criticized. The locals are particularly annoyed by the fact that the Russian consulate, in accordance with the treaty, is called upon to monitor whether the demilitarized status of the Aland Islands is being observed.
From the windows of one of the houses of the main town of the Aland archipelago, Marienhamna, there is a view of... the past of this land. The houses in the capital of the Aland Islands are wooden, the windows are so old that the glass in many of them "remembers two world wars," Sia Spiliopoulou-Okermark informs us. Director of the Peace Institute of the Aland Islands, this woman likes to mention this detail in her stories - about the windows of a century ago. For her, this is another proof that the Alands are the islands of the world. Still.
The Aland Islands group belongs to Finland, but has broad autonomy. During the Crimean War of the 1850s, Great Britain, France and Russia fought for this area. But in 1856 they concluded a peace treaty and decided to demilitarize the Alands. From now on, these islands cannot be attacked, but they cannot defend themselves either: it is forbidden to place military equipment here. All parties adhered to this agreement, and therefore the glass in the windows of the wooden houses of the islanders, despite the two world wars, remained intact. "If someone attacked the Alands and bombed them, they would have been defeated," says Siya Spiliopolu-Okemark. She is convinced that the Alands, thanks to their special status, will remain islands of the world in the future. But not everyone in Helsinki is sure of this.
In April 2023, Finland officially joined NATO. Nevertheless, the Aland Islands retain their demilitarized status. Some Finns ask themselves: what will happen if Russia attacks the archipelago?
The "Achilles heel" of the Finnish defense
Critics see the demilitarized status of the islands as a weakness that the Russians can take advantage of. The former adviser to the Finnish president Alpo Rusi even calls the Alands "the Achilles heel of the Finnish defense." Many members of the Finnish Parliament also openly express doubts about the expediency of maintaining the demilitarized status of the islands. However, experts believe that the militarization of the Alands can lead to unpredictable consequences: no one knows how Moscow will react. The fact is that at one time the demilitarization of the islands was a condition for Moscow to recognize the existing borders of Finland.
The Aland Islands Group is located at a strategically important point in the Baltic Sea. At the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and mainland Finland, there are almost 6,700 large and small islands, of which only 65 are inhabited. Strategically, the Alands are given the same importance as the Swedish island of Gotland, located in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia. It was once said that whoever owns Gotland and the Alands owns the whole sea.
Therefore, the Baltic states have been fighting for dominance over the Aland Islands for centuries. Thanks to numerous compromises, the conflict was finally settled. For example, in 1940, Moscow achieved that a Soviet consulate was opened in Marienhamn. Diplomats were supposed to monitor compliance with the demilitarized status. They are still doing this, despite their own. Many Finns ask themselves: is it right that Russia monitors compliance with an international agreement, while a few thousand kilometers away it violates international law on a daily basis?
More than 40 thousand people have signed a petition demanding the closure of the Russian representative office in the Aland Islands. "It's just ridiculous that it is a Russian institution that is called upon to oversee compliance with international treaties," says Finnish reservist Jonas Back. He was born and raised on the mainland, but because of the woman he loved, he moved to the Alands. As always a reservist ready for defense, Bakk is sure that Moscow uses its local consulate not to ensure peace, but to spy on Finland.
The same point of view is shared by the former adviser to the president, Mr. Rousey. "The consulate is part of the Russian spy system in Finland," he said last year. He recalled the large police action in 2018 in the skerries near Turku. In its course, it was discovered that rich Russian citizens had bought up numerous large plots of land there and equipped helicopter pads and jetties there. These properties were located close to the main shipping routes. Rusi suggests that these houses were not just places of secluded recreation for hard-working entrepreneurs. According to him, they definitely served to monitor the movement of Finnish ships. And, of course, Russia also supports the immediate closure of the Russian consulate in Marienhamn.
Special status as part of identity
But not all islanders are just as paranoid about the Russian presence on the islands. Some of them participate in protest actions in front of the Russian consulate, but nevertheless they are not against it staying here. So thinks, for example, 72-year-old Mosse Wallen (Mosse Wallen). We met this retired journalist on a sunny spring day, when he was standing in front of the Russian mission, holding a poster in his hands, where "Putin go home" was written in black letters.
Nevertheless, Wallen stressed: "We are not protesting against the consulate, but against Russia's actions far from here, in Ukraine." For many residents of the Alands, the special status of the islands is part of their identity. They fear that the closure of the Russian consulate may call into question all the agreements on the Alands, and at the same time the autonomy of the islands.
After the outbreak of hostilities, demonstrations in front of the Russian consulate take place every day. Sometimes only a handful of people come, sometimes dozens of them. Wallen counts the number of participants in each action. He documented the record on the 366th day of the conflict — on the first Sunday after the anniversary of the special operation. Then 262 people took part in the demonstration. "And 20 dogs," Wallen adds proudly. The former journalist also takes into account the four-legged demonstrators. According to him, they are permanent participants in peaceful actions....
The consulate building is extinct, there is never any light in the windows," the demonstrators say. Since the beginning of the conflict, they have never seen the consul and his wife on the streets of the city. They are said to be the only people living in the consulate. According to Wallen, it is not necessary to prevent these two Russian diplomats from staying on the island: otherwise, who will look at our protests? But the fighting in Ukraine must end. There is a more serious reason for maintaining the "connection with Russia": "Closing the consulate would be a fatal signal. It would mean that Finland violates international treaties."
The decision on whether Alandam will continue to be a symbol of demilitarization or turn into the personification of escalation is in the hands of Helsinki. The government there remains faithful to the agreement, including because anything else will be perceived by Moscow as a provocation. And then Finland may find itself in a dangerous situation, and the Alands will cease to be islands that have lived in peaceful conditions longer than all European archipelagos.
Author of the article: Anna-Sophie Schneider
