The Finnish daily “Hufvudstadsbladet” reports that the head of Russia's diplomatic mission on the Åland Islands may have links with agents of the Russian intelligence service. Last year, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the possibility of liquidating this consulate.
Alexander Rogov, head of the diplomatic mission Russia in Mariehamn, the capital of the demilitarized Åland Islands, an autonomous region Finlandmay have links with agents of the Russian intelligence service, the Finnish daily “Hufvudstadsbladet” reported on Friday.
The newspaper examined the contacts and diplomatic career of Rogów, who has been on duty in the capital of Åland since autumn 2020. According to the “HBL” report, the official was delegated in the past to, among others, for consular tasks in Madrid, at the same time – as emphasized – when in 2007 Spain an espionage scandal came to light.
He contacted Rogów many times, including: via social media, another Russian diplomat who was deported from Riga and Tbilisi in connection with, among others, suspected of organizing an attack on the then president Georgia.
While on duty in Åland, Rogow “elegantly” avoided interviews with the Finnish media for years, a newspaper published in Helsinki noted.
Åland Islands Shutterstock
The facility “is not a traditional consulate”
The Russian consulate in the Åland Islands has been controversial for years. The Finnish press has written many times that the facility in Mariehamn, located in an old wooden building on Norra Esplanadgatan, is “not a traditional consulate”. Many commentators believe that it only serves as an “intelligence facility”.
Last year, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered the possibility of liquidating the consulate. Due to numerous international agreements on the demilitarization and non-fortification of the region, as well as the formal supervision over this issue assigned to Russia, the initiative to close the consulate or change the status of the Islands is not possible for legal reasons, the authorities stated in the report.
After Finland entered NATO in April 2023, citizens filed a petition to liquidate the consulate, “posing a threat to the security of the country”. Over 50,000 people signed it. people, and since the Russian attack on Ukraine Periodic protests were organized in front of the facility.
Total ban on military maneuvers and overflights
The Åland Islands are located at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, halfway through the sea crossing between Finland and Sweden. The strategically located archipelago is of key importance for Finland, especially since almost the entire volume of Finnish trade with Western countries passes through sea routes, mainly around the Islands.
Initially, their demilitarization was established on the basis of agreements dating back to the Crimean War in the mid-19th century. 19th century. This status was then confirmed after World War I and II.
The archipelago, which is an autonomous province of Finland, is inhabited by approximately 30,000 people. people, mainly Swedish-speaking. About a hundred Russian citizens also live there. There is a total ban on military maneuvers and overflights on the islands.
Main photo source: Shutterstock