What happened
Finland has experienced Russia's embedded influence, which involves shaping the strategic environment through manipulative influence in lawful forms of cooperation. According to an analysis by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Russia used this tactic to influence Finland's political decision-making and encourage a skeptical attitude toward the European Union and NATO.
Russia's influence in Finland was facilitated by the country's pragmatic and cooperation-oriented foreign policy towards Russia. However, the start of Russia's full-scale aggression in Ukraine in 2022 led to a sharp break in cooperation, and Russia was left without its main levers for influencing Finland.
Finland's strong crisis-preparedness culture and comprehensive security approach have helped the country withstand Russian threats, including cyberattacks, GPS signal jamming, and disinformation campaigns. The analysis also notes that Russian hybrid measures and political pressure often produced the opposite of the desired result, undermining Russia's embedded influence in Finland.
The example of Finland shows how Russia's provocations in foreign countries may begin to undermine its embedded influence. This has led to calls for a change in terminology, with some arguing that Russia's actions should be referred to as state-supported terrorism rather than hybrid measures or hybrid war.
