No, Finland Is NOT Russian.

“Finland is very Russian”
That’s what I heard from an American MAGA commentator, Charlie Kirk.

I remember thinking, there aren’t many phrases that could truly anger most Finnish people… until I heard those words.

This kind of thinking is a problem I’ve seen with many American commentators.
They act like they know how the whole world works—as if the American perspective is the only one that truly matters.
Sometimes, they even try to bring “nuance” to global events—but it’s nuance that exists only within an American worldview.

But if you know anything about Eastern Europe, you'd never make such a wild statement.

And that’s why so many Americans still don’t understand how important the war between Russia and Ukraine is—to Europe.
How critical it is for Ukraine to remain independent and preserve its cultural identity.
To avoid Russification.
Because other countries have faced that very same threat—including Finland.

Now I know, I’m picking on this guy based on a small clip. But I’m using it as an example.

You’ve probably heard of Johnny Harris—a big YouTuber. And he’s really good at what he does. His videos are entertaining and informative.
But a while ago, he released a video explaining why Russia invaded Ukraine.
He tried to, in his words, explain it from the Russian perspective.
But in the end, it looked and sounded like straight-up Russian propaganda.

You know the game:
“NATO expansion provoked them.”
“The West is the bad guy.”
Blah blah blah.

That video triggered an enormous wave of anger and pain from Ukrainians and other Europeans. The backlash was so intense that he had to take it down—and make an apology video.

The problem is that the “American or Western narrative” often strips agency from countries that aren’t part of “the West.”
To them, it’s never about nations that simply want to break free from Russia.
Who are ready to pay for their independence with blood, sweat, and tears.
No—those people are just pawns, manipulated by America, being pulled away from their natural home in the safe bosom of “Mother Russia.”
It’s insane.

And it’s frustrating.
Especially when you hear similar tone-deaf comments coming from even the President of the United States.

A Brief History Lesson

Eastern Europe has struggled against domination by Moscow-led empires for centuries.

That started with the Russian Empire, ruled by tsars, which expanded aggressively across the Baltic and into Finland.
That empire collapsed in 1917, after centuries of autocratic rule.

In its place rose the Soviet Union—a communist superpower that retained many of the same imperial instincts, only now with Marxist ideology as justification.

Then, in 1991, the Soviet Union fell.
What emerged was the Russian Federation—what we now call “Russia.”
But while the flags, slogans, and leadership changed, the behavior remained chillingly consistent.

From tsars to Soviets to oligarchs—the desire to dominate neighbors never truly died.

Countries like Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia didn’t wait for someone to tell them what to do.
They wanted independence.
They wanted to shape their own future.
To lead themselves.
To modernize.
To become part of the Western world.

They weren’t manipulated—they were proactive.
That’s why they wanted to join NATO.
Because NATO was—and is—the largest military alliance in the world.
It was their only protection against a Russia that never truly lost its imperial hunger.

That’s why calling Finland “very Russian” is more than absurd.
It’s an insult.

The Finnish Story

Finland's story is one of resistance.
Of independence.
Of protecting its identity.

In the 12th century, Finland was colonized by the Kingdom of Sweden.
Then in 1809, it was captured by the Russian Empire.

That’s when Finland became an autonomous region known as the Grand Duchy of Finland.
And for a while, things were relatively stable.
They were allowed to keep their language, culture, and institutions.

This captures something essential about Finnish culture—even today:
They just want to be left alone and for their culture to remain intact.

But in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Russian Empire changed its strategy.
They began a policy known as Russification—a slow but deliberate erasure of non-Russian cultures.
The Grand Duchy began losing its autonomy.
New laws were passed that favored Russian interests.
From the empire’s perspective, it was time to take full control.

That’s when Finnish nationalism truly awakened.

They had a powerful motto:

“Swedes we are not,
Russians we do not want to be,
So let us be Finns.”

And in 1917, with the collapse of the Russian Empire, Finland finally declared independence.

The Winter War

In 1939, just before World War II, the Soviet Union demanded land from Finland.
The Finns knew—if they gave in, more demands would follow.

So they refused. And the Soviets invaded.

The plan was simple: conquer all of Finland and turn it into a puppet state.
But it didn’t go as planned.

This was the Winter War—a true David and Goliath story.

Finland lost over 26,000 soldiers—a devastating cost.
But the Soviets lost over 126,000.
Another 200,000 were wounded, and 5,000 captured.

The Soviet Union was humiliated.
And it’s believed that this humiliation led Adolf Hitler to believe he could conquer the Soviets easily—a mistake that cost him dearly.

The Era of Finlandization

In the decades that followed, Finland adopted a careful strategy known as Finlandization.

The idea was: don’t provoke the bear.
In exchange for neutrality, Finland avoided invasion. That was the deal.
But there were limits on what it could say or do.
Freedom—but conditional.
Necessary—but resented.

And through it all, there was a hope—a fragile hope—that the Soviet Union would honor its side of the bargain.

But time and again, Moscow showed it could not be trusted.

A New Era

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by the modern Russian Federation, both Finland and Sweden abandoned neutrality.
They joined NATO.

Finland is no longer neutral—in any way, shape, or form.

They understand the reality of living next to a hostile neighbor.
They understand the importance of military deterrence.
They understand what’s at stake.

So when someone says, “Finland is very Russian,”
They’re not just wrong.
They’re insulting the memory of those who fought and died to prevent Russification.
They’re dismissing the centuries-long struggle to preserve an identity, a culture, a nation.

Thank you for reading.