Russians in Finland
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (about 70,000 Russian-speaking (2012)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Helsinki, Eastern Finland, Southern Finland | |
| Languages | |
| Finnish, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Finnish Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Russian people, Jews in Finland |
Russians in Finland or Russian Finns constitute a linguistic and ethnic minority in Finland. About 30,000 people have citizenship of the Russian Federation, and Russian is the mother language of about 70,000 people in Finland, which represents about 1.3% of the population.
Russian citizens who moved before the Second World War are called "Old Russians". The next immigration wave happened after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as Ingrian Finns remigrated to Finland. At present, marriage and family ties are two other common reasons for Russians to immigrate to Finland.
The first migratory wave of Russians began in the early 18th century, when Finland was part of Swedish Empire. About 40,000 Russian soldiers, civilian workers, and about 600 businessmen moved to the Grand Duchy of Finland. When Finland became independent (1917), many soldiers returned to Russia. Many businessmen stayed, including the Sinebrychoff family. During the Russian Revolution many and officers fled to Finland as refugees. The biggest refugee wave was in 1922 when about 33,500 persons came to Finland. Many of them had Nansen passports for many years. During the Kronstadt Rebellion about 1,600 officers fled to Finland. Russian citizens who moved in these three waves are called "Old Russians", whose 3–5,000 descendants live in Finland today.
A second major wave of immigration occurred after the fall of the Soviet Union. Many Russian guest workers came to Finland, working low-paying jobs. In the 1990s, immigration to Finland grew, and a Russian-speaking population descended from Ingrian Finns immigrated to Finland. In the 2000s, many nouveaux riches Russians have bought estates in Eastern Finland.
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Wikipedia