The Finnish Orthodox Church is at the center of a scandal over accusations of Russification
The Finnish Orthodox Church has found itself at the center of a scandal over accusations of Russification and discrimination against Finnish-speaking believers. Despite official condemnation of Russian aggression against Ukraine, tensions between Finnish-speaking and Russian-speaking communities are growing within parishes. This was reported by Helsingin Sanomat.
The conflict began after Archbishop Ilia’s initiative in February 2025 to read a prayer for “suffering Ukraine.” Metropolitan Arseny banned it, calling the prayer a “political statement.” The decision sparked a wave of indignation among parishioners, with some accusing the church leadership of pro-Russian views, while others accused it of Russophobia.
The sharpest opposition was in the Kotka region, where about 44% of Orthodox believers are Finnish-speaking, but services are mainly held in Russian or Church Slavonic.
The majority of the parish’s paid staff and volunteers are of Russian origin, and two out of three priests are from Russia. In addition to Finnish, Russian is widely used in the parish, including on the community’s Facebook pages. Parish priest Timo Tõnkkõnen publishes messages about the life of the community on his personal page in both Finnish and Russian.
The parish also has a page on the Russian social network “VKontakte”, which is administered by an active member of the “Kotka Ilosanoma” association, established by Russian migrants. The parish house in the city of Kotka regularly hosts events dedicated to Russian culture.
Due to the small number of participants, the parish has not held its own confirmation camps for young people for many years. Instead, it participates in the Russian-language summer camps “Kovcheg” and “Arkki”, which are organized jointly with the “Kotka Ilosanoma” association.
