Finland saw a sharp overall rise in suspected bias-motivated offences last year, reaching the highest level on record

Hate crimes in Finland hit record levels in 2024, with a growing share targeting Russian nationals, the Police University College of Finland has said in its annual report. The surge comes amid increasingly hawkish rhetoric from Western leaders, who warn of alleged threats from Russia - claims the Kremlin has repeatedly rejected.

In total, Finnish authorities logged more than 1,800 suspected hate crimes, the highest figure on record. Nearly 68 % were motivated by the victim's ethnic or national background. Most of the victims (67%) were people with Finnish citizenship.

Russians accounted for about 3% of the total, with 46 reported cases - an 18 % rise from the year before. The same number of cases (46) involved Estonian victims, but this figure was lower than it was in 2023.

"Fewer crimes were committed against Estonians and Ukrainians than in 2023, while the number of crimes against Russians increased," the report noted.

Among crimes linked specifically to ethnicity or nationality, assault was the most frequent offence, followed by defamation. Most incidents occurred in public outdoor areas such as streets or market squares. Three out of five of the victims were men, while women were more often targeted with defamation.

Attitudes toward Russians have hardened since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, so the election of Daniel Sazonov, the son of Russian-born parents, as Helsinki's mayor in 2025 came as a surprise to many.

The situation risks becoming more strained, as President Alexander Stubb has struck an increasingly hawkish tone, warning that Europe must be prepared to "fight" should Russian aggression resume. Moscow has denied any intention to attack Europe, dismissing such claims as unfounded.

Last week, the European Commission said EU states will issue only single-entry Schengen visas to most Russian citizens, requiring reapplication for each trip. The move was justified by "increased security risks" linked to the Ukraine conflict.

In 2023 Finland closed its 1,430 km border with Russia, accusing Moscow of sending migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Russia called the claim "completely baseless." Bloomberg said the move is costing the Nordic country's South Karelia region about 1 million ($1.2 million) a day in lost tourism revenue.