The Russian embassy in Finland called on the authorities to punish the vandals who desecrated the grave

HELSINKI, 2 Mar — The Russian Embassy in Finland demanded that the Finnish Foreign Ministry punish those responsible for desecrating the mass grave of Soviet soldiers in Kivikko in the capital region of Finland and is restoring the monument on its own, the Russian diplomatic mission said.

Earlier, the regional state administrative agency of Eastern Finland reported an act of vandalism at the cemetery of Soviet soldiers in Malmi-Kivikko, where a monument was set on fire, and an insulting inscription appeared on the memorial tablet.

“The Russian Embassy in Finland immediately called the police to the scene of the incident, a statement was filed about the crime committed. A protest note was sent to the Finnish Foreign Ministry demanding to take action and punish the perpetrators. Currently, the monument is being restored by the embassy,” the diplomatic mission said.

After the end of World War II, Finland undertook to take care of the graves of Soviet (Russian) soldiers and prisoners of war on its territory. The corresponding provision is contained in the agreement that the country concluded with the Russian Federation in 1992. On the Finnish side, the Association for the Preservation of the Memory of War Victims is responsible for the practical implementation of the agreement, and the Regional State Administrative Agency for Eastern Finland is responsible for caring for the graves.