Образ России в исторической политике Финляндии в контексте вступления в НАТО: на примере речей президента С. Ниинистё

Балтийский регион. 2025. Т. 17. № 4. С. 68–83.

Попов Д. И.

The study examines the image of Russia in Finland’s historical policy in the context of the country’s accession to NATO. The aim is to identify shifts in the interpretation of Russia’s role in the Finnish political elite’s understanding of its own past, shared Russian–Finnish and global history. To this end, the analysis focuses on President Sauli Niinistö’s foreign policy speeches delivered between 2021 and 2024: before the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, during Finland’s NATO accession, and after the country obtained full membership in the Alliance. The main methodological approach is discourse analysis, following the framework developed by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. The findings indicate that President Niinistö engaged most actively with historical themes during the first year of the conflict in Ukraine and following Finland’s application for NATO membership. Since 2022, references to the 1975 Helsinki Conference have receded, while the Winter War and other episodes of Russian–Finnish confrontation have assumed a far more prominent place in historical policy. These references construct an image of Russia as both a past and present threat and help mobilise Finnish public support for Ukraine. Consequently, Finland’s narrative increasingly depicts a long-standing struggle between the two nations, downplaying earlier periods of cooperation and dialogue.

Keywords: НАТО, Россия, Финляндия, Russia, Finland, NATO, историческая политика, места памяти, historical narrative, исторический нарратив, Зимняя война, conflict in Ukraine, конфликт на Украине, historical policy, Winter War, Lieux de Mémoire