Russia has asked Finland to temporarily ban demonstrations outside its embassy in Helsinki during the upcoming State Duma elections, according to a diplomatic note received by the Finnish authorities. Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Ulkoministeriö) confirmed the request to Yle, but has not yet said how it intends to respond.
The Russian parliamentary elections are scheduled for 18–20 September, with a polling station due to open at the Russian embassy in Helsinki. According to the Finnish ministry, Moscow has asked for enhanced security measures around the polling site, including a temporary ban on demonstrations.
Russia asks for tighter security around its embassy
The request was included in a diplomatic note sent by Russia ahead of the State Duma elections. According to information provided by the Russian election authorities to state news agency RIA Novosti, similar communications have been sent to Russian diplomatic missions abroad.
Finland’s Foreign Ministry told Yle that receiving notification about the opening of a polling station at the embassy is part of normal diplomatic practice.
The Russian request, however, goes further. It asks Finnish authorities to reinforce security around the embassy and specifically includes a temporary prohibition on demonstrations in its vicinity during voting.
The ministry has not yet announced whether Finland will accept any part of the request or what security arrangements will be introduced.
According to The Moscow Times, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects demonstrations supporting Ukraine to take place outside Russian diplomatic missions during the elections.
Finland’s law protects the right to demonstrate
A general ban of the kind requested by Russia would have to be assessed against Finland’s strong legal protections for freedom of assembly.
Section 13 of the Finnish Constitution establishes that everyone has the right to organise and participate in meetings and demonstrations without obtaining prior permission.
Finland’s Assembly Act (Kokoontumislaki) is also explicitly intended to safeguard the exercise of that constitutional right. Demonstrations held outdoors in public places must normally be notified to the police, but they do not require authorisation.
The police can nevertheless impose restrictions for specific security reasons. Under the Assembly Act, authorities may move a public meeting to another suitable location when holding it in the notified place would endanger people, cause significant damage or disruption, or interfere with an event requiring particular protection. Police may also issue instructions necessary to maintain public order and security.
This means that Finnish authorities already have powers to adjust the location or conditions of individual demonstrations when concrete security concerns arise. The legislation does not establish a general mechanism allowing a foreign government to require demonstrations to be prohibited simply because they take place close to its diplomatic mission.
The Duma vote will also take place outside Russia
The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, will be elected between 18 and 20 September. Russians eligible to vote abroad will be able to cast their ballots through polling stations established at selected diplomatic missions, including the embassy in Helsinki.
The request places Finland in the position of balancing its responsibility to protect a foreign diplomatic mission and those using the polling station with the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
For now, Helsinki has only confirmed receipt of the Russian diplomatic note. How Finnish authorities interpret the request, and whether additional restrictions will be introduced around the embassy during the September vote, has yet to be announced.
