Foreign Ministry report: Russians’ attitudes towards Finland remain divided, young people most positive

A recent survey commissioned by Finland’s Embassy in Moscow shows that Finland’s reputation among Russians has held steady for the past three years, but over a longer period it has clearly declined. The most positive attitudes are found among young people, while pensioners are the most negative. An increasing share of respondents are unwilling or unable to express an opinion.

Finland’s reputation among Russians has settled in a few years at a lower level than before, according to a survey commissioned by the Embassy of Finland in Moscow and carried out by the Levada Center research institute. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has monitored Russian attitudes towards Finland regularly since 2017. This year’s study was the seventh in the series.

Attitudes hardened markedly in 2022 when Finland launched its NATO membership process following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since 2023, Finland’s reputation has remained broadly unchanged.

According to the latest results, 38% of Russians now view Finland positively, 25% negatively and 38% are unable or unwilling to express an opinion. A year ago, 40% were positive and two years ago 37%. These differences fall within the survey’s margin of error (3.4%). In 2021, however, 68% of respondents held a positive view of Finland, and in 2019 as many as 71%.

As in previous years, the most favourable perceptions are among the youngest respondents (18–24 years), 62% of whom express a positive attitude towards Finland. Among Russians aged over 65, who are most exposed to state-controlled media, only 23% feel positive.

During Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the proportion of respondents who refrain from expressing an opinion has grown significantly, now exceeding one-third (38%). This may reflect a tension between long-standing images of Finland as a prosperous and peaceful democracy and the current portrayal of a “hostile” Finland in Russian state media. Faced with this contradiction, respondents opt for ‘don’t know’ when asked about their attitude towards Finland.

Finland’s NATO membership is not uppermost in people’s minds

When asked to choose from a set of options, respondents described the state of relations between Finland and Russia as follows:

• cold (28%)
• tense or hostile (28%)
• normal and peaceful (15%)
• friendly and neighbourly (8%)
• one in five chose ‘don't know’ (21%)

When asked what might further weaken relations between the two countries, the most frequent response was again ‘NATO bases on Finnish territory’, chosen by half of respondents.

Yet only 60% knew that Finland is a NATO member, down from 65% last year. Awareness is 81% in Moscow and 66% in north-west Russia, which is near Finland's border.

A quarter (24%) of respondents consider Finland’s NATO membership a ‘fairly significant threat’ to Russia, while 36% see it as a ‘minor threat’. Another 25% believe it poses ‘no threat at all’ to Russia, while 14% cannot express an opinion. In light of these figures, it seems contradictory that 58% of respondents say NATO membership has not affected their attitude towards Finland and that it has remained unchanged, while just over one-third (36%) report a negative impact.

“Since joining NATO, Finland has faced negative coverage in Russian propaganda over the past few years, but many Russians also have real-life experience of Finland. NATO membership is not uppermost in people’s minds,” says Finland’s Ambassador to Moscow, Marja Liivala.

Historical narratives resonate with older Russians

In recent years, actors close to the Russian administration have sought to distort Finland’s actions during the Second World War and link them to alleged present-day hostility towards Russia. For example, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Karelia last year declared Finland’s operations in occupied Eastern Karelia during the Continuation War to be “genocide”.

As in last year's survey, respondents were asked whether they had encountered certain historical claims about Finland:

• wartime prison camps maintained by Finns in Karelia (23%, up from 17% in 2024)
• Finland’s participation in the Siege of Leningrad (19%, up from 17% in 2024)
• execution of Soviet citizens or prisoners of war in areas occupied by Finland (17%, unchanged)
• ambitions to establish a ‘Greater Finland’ (11%, unchanged)

A clear majority (59%) say they have not come across such claims or do not recall doing so (65% in 2024). Among 18–24-year-olds, 73% report no awareness of these narratives, compared with 49% of those aged over 65.

Traditionally, the Winter War has not featured in Russia’s historiography of the Second World War – the ‘Great Patriotic War’ – which is considered to begin in 1941. According to the survey, 11% of Russian adults believe they know the history of the Winter War ‘fairly well’ and 36% ‘in general terms’. Of those who think they know the history, 49% consider the war justified from the Soviet Union's perspective. This view has gained ground since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. When asked about the causes of the Winter War, respondents most often cited the Soviet Union’s defensive interest in pushing the border further from Leningrad (32%) or the perceived threat posed by Finland (29%).

Finland’s visibility gradually fading

When regular surveys commissioned by Finland’s Embassy in Moscow began in 2017, as many as 21% of Russians associated Finland primarily with welfare and a high standard of living. Today, only 6% do so. Asked this year what first comes to mind about Finland, the most frequent mentions were:

• nature (16%)
• NATO (9%)
• northern country / Nordic countries (9%)
• tourism (7%)
• sauna (7%)

For nearly one-third of respondents (31%, up from 28% in 2024), Finland evokes nothing at all. This points to a gradual erosion of general awareness and weak recognition of Finland, especially in regions far from the Finnish border.

The survey traditionally examines how well Russians know prominent Finns. The top three most recognised names have remained unchanged for several years, yet none are widely known across the country. Recognition is somewhat higher in Moscow and north-west Russia than elsewhere.

• Actor Ville Haapasalo (18% nationwide, 22% in north-west Russia, 36% in Moscow)
• Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (12% nationwide, 23% in north-west Russia, 25% in Moscow)
• Racing driver Mika Häkkinen (11% nationwide, 16% in north-west Russia, 18% in Moscow)

Next on the list are Kimi Räikkönen (7%), Ville Valo (5%) and Tove Jansson (5%), all better known in Moscow than in other regions. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb is recognised by 4% of Russians, up from just 1% last year. In Moscow, 9% know his name and in north-west Russia 6%. Composer Jean Sibelius is familiar to 4% of respondents. A majority (59%) cannot name a single Finnish person.

Background

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has commissioned country image surveys about Finland in Russia at least every two years since 2017.

The latest survey was conducted by the Levada Center research institute for Finland’s Embassy in Moscow between 22 and 30 July 2025 through face-to-face interviews. Responses were collected in 137 population centres across 50 regions of Russia. The sample comprised 1,611 adults, representative of the Russian adult population. The margin of error is 3.4%.

The Levada Center is an independent research institute that has been listed as a ‘foreign agent’ by Russia’s Ministry of Justice since 2016.