Beeline, one of Russia’s largest mobile operators, has opened a telecommunications data centre in Helsinki, aiming to improve data transfer speeds and access to services such as messaging app Telegram. The move, reported by Iltalehti, comes amid heightened scrutiny from Finnish authorities.
Finnish cybersecurity agency on alert
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency’s Cybersecurity Centre confirmed it is closely monitoring the facility. Classified as an internet exchange point (IXP), the Helsinki site is relatively small compared to international standards but significant within Finland’s network infrastructure.
Parent company Vimpelcom faces international sanctions
Beeline’s parent company, Vimpelcom, ranks among Russia’s 20 most valuable publicly traded companies. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western countries have targeted Russia’s technology and telecommunications sectors with sanctions. Canada has imposed restrictions on all major Russian mobile operators, including Vimpelcom.
Strategic and political implications
The presence of a Russian-operated IXP in Finland raises questions over data security, geopolitical influence, and compliance with sanctions regimes. While the centre’s official purpose is to optimise data routing for Russian services, its location in an EU and NATO member state adds a layer of complexity to ongoing East-West digital infrastructure relations.
The Finnish government has not yet indicated whether the data centre’s operations could lead to new regulatory measures or security protocols.
