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Alpo Rusi wrote that the KGB had about 350 agents, confidential contacts, or targets of preparation at a time, managed by the cover diplomats or illegals of the Soviet embassy. He claimed that Lipponen had a KGB connection since 1967 and that Stasi had also dealt with him and Aho. Rusi also mentioned Gerhard Maget (OibE) from the years 1986–1990. #Kgb #historia #vakoojat (translated)

Saara Huhtasaari wrote that Sanna Marin had been in Italy promoting her book and told Corriere della Sera that she would likely not run for office unless Russia attacked Finland. In that case, according to Huhtasaari, Marin would have said she was available. Huhtasaari interpreted the statement as positioning herself rather than expressing a willingness to be a victim. According to her, Marin implied that conventional political work did not match her capabilities and that only a crisis threatening Finland's existence would be a sufficiently significant task. Huhtasaari compared this to the scale of historical leaders such as Kekkonen, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Lee Kuan Yew, and George Washington, using the metaphor of the "Napoleon syndrome" to describe the phenomenon. She specified that she did not mean it as a diagnosis. Huhtasaari also criticized the contradiction between Marin's book discussing hope and the self-image conveyed in the interview. She argued that the role of politics was to build structures that functioned without a single politician. As examples of such builders, she mentioned Lee Kuan Yew, who influenced Singapore's development, and Mart Laar, who made economic and institutional decisions in post-independence Estonia. Huhtasaari believed that there had not been similar builders in Finland for decades and that Marin did not belong to their ranks. According to Huhtasaari, statesmen did not announce in advance when they would return to politics, but either did their job or stepped aside. She criticized Marin for traveling to present her book, which discussed decisions made behind closed doors, and for associating a potential return with Russia's attack. Huhtasaari described this as a fantasy of seeing herself as a historical exception. #SannaMarin #Politiikka #Historia (translated)

Henri Vanhanen criticized Donald Trump's actions in the Ukraine war, noting that he declared agreements about which there was uncertainty, while pressuring Ukraine in a way that benefited Vladimir Putin. As a recent example, Vanhanen pointed to Trump’s announced energy ceasefire. According to him, Volodymyr Zelensky heard about it practically for the first time from the media, Russia had not confirmed the agreement, and continued, according to Zelensky, attacks on Ukraine's power plants. Vanhanen asked what kind of ceasefire it was if the other party did not know what had been agreed upon. He suggested that Zelensky had to be cautious of Trump’s criticism to avoid being blamed for obstructing peace. Vanhanen referred to the Financial Times reporting that the United States threatened to cut off arms and intelligence supplies to Ukraine unless the country stopped attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. He also wrote that Trump agreed to buy Russian diesel, demanded Ukraine to cease attacks on Russian oil refineries, and encouraged a change of leadership in Ukraine. Vanhanen estimated that the war in Iran and the resulting fuel prices, the upcoming midterm elections, and the need to show results might explain Trump’s urgency to secure an agreement. According to him, Trump aimed for cheaper diesel and a visible peace political achievement, while Putin would benefit from a decrease in attacks on Russia’s energy sector. Vanhanen noted that the alignment of these goals seemed to occur at Ukraine’s expense. Vanhanen stated that he did not oppose a ceasefire if it protected Ukrainians and also bound Russia. However, he observed that for Trump, merely declaring an agreement seemed to suffice, even without information about its terms or Russia's commitment. Vanhanen assessed that Russia would benefit from a situation in which the United States sought a quick agreement and Ukraine was cautious not to offend Trump. In such conditions, he believed Putin could gain concessions from Trump without Russia needing to win against Ukraine at the negotiating table. #Ukraina #Trump #Venäjä (translated)

A young Finnish person reported that British Christian police officer Luke Salmons, 46, won a legal battle against police administration. According to the report, Salmons challenged the claim that Islam is a religion of peace in diversity training and raised questions about jihad, Hamas, and Gaza. He was suspended from work two days after the training, and the police department deemed him guilty of a serious misconduct. Salmons was added to the Police Barred List, which effectively prevented him from working in law enforcement. The young Finnish person wrote that Salmons appealed the decision, and North Yorkshire Chief Constable Tim Forber later determined that it was not a serious misconduct nor a breach of professional standards. Salmons was then removed from the barred list. He subsequently filed a lawsuit for religious discrimination and harassment, as well as for violations of his freedom of religion and speech. North Yorkshire Police settled the matter before it progressed to an employment tribunal, and Salmons received financial compensation from the police. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed in the report. #oikeus #uskonnonvapautta #monimuotoisuus (translated)

Urho Haho wrote that he had been amused by the panic of the National Coalition's Niilo Heinonen and his partners. According to Haho, Heinonen tried to commit the city to what he described as fanatical climate goals together with the Greens in the Oulu city council. Haho believed that Heinonen was now presenting himself as right-wing, even though he was not distinguishable from the Greens in Oulu. #politiikka #Oulu #ilmasto (translated)

Henri Vanhanen wrote that Donald Trump's Russia policy may not have been guided by a coherent strategy. According to him, Trump made decisions one by one, seeking quick political gains, and then had to fix the consequences. In his assessment, Vanhanen linked Trump's diminished commitment to arming Ukraine, the energy price increases resulting from the war in Iran, and the recent diesel trade with Russia. He believed that trade could bolster the Russian economy and give Vladimir Putin a means to pressure Ukraine into halting strikes on Russia's oil refineries. Vanhanen also criticized Trump for condemning strikes that he claimed weakened Russia's war economy. Vanhanen noted that Trump’s administration had not sought significant new funding from Congress for arming Ukraine. According to him, previously agreed deliveries had continued, and European countries had purchased American weapons for Ukraine. He stated that Trump was not fundamentally on the side of Ukraine or Europe but was primarily pursuing his own interests. According to Vanhanen, Finland's security should not be built on the assumption that there is a plan behind Trump's decisions that would turn in favor of Europe. He urged preparedness for the possibility that U.S. aid could be delayed or smaller than expected, to strengthen the availability of defense equipment and air defense, and to deepen cooperation with Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Britain, Poland, and the Baltic countries. He also believed that Europe should be able to support Ukraine and maintain economic pressure on Russia by its own means. #Trump #Venäjä #Ukraina (translated)

he no longer has to think only of peace According to CNN, Trump stated to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre after the election that he "no longer has to think only of peace," because the Nobel Committee did not choose him as the recipient of the peace prize. #NobelRauhanpalkinto #MaríaCorinaMachado #Trump (translated)

The author believed that the fighter who flew drones in Ukraine should be appreciated and thanked for his sacrifices. According to him, however, a defense system could not be built solely on the vision and experience of one drone pilot, but experiences should be utilized at a tactical level. #Ukraina #defensiivisyys #taktinenjohtaminen #FI #UA (translated)

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlight in an article published in the 'New England Journal of Medicine' the management of the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, which has sparked controversy among researchers who question the authorship of the text due to the absence of co-authors and Sánchez's lack of presence during the evacuation in Tenerife. #Hantavirus #GestiónSanitaria #PedroSánchez (translated)

Antti Sallinen reported that he had begun his annual Commodore cruise on the Silja Serenade by enjoying the champagne provided by the ship, which he found in the cabin's refrigerator. He wrote that he was traveling alone and said that his spouse did not like cruises and he did not want to pressure them to join. https://t.co/OrBKrcf91Z #risteily #matkustus #itsehoito (translated)

Lucia described the typical reader of Helsingin Sanomat as a 25–40-year-old, highly educated urban woman who lived in neighborhoods like Kallio, Käpylä, Kumpula, Pakila, Kalasatama, Töölö, or Lauttasaari. She noted that this woman would usually vote for the Greens, the Left Alliance, or the SDP and would frequent brunches, bars, and the Flow festival. According to Lucia, the woman she described might be in a relationship, live in a community garden cabin, and be the mother of one or two children. She listed names like Alvar, Oliver, Ariel, Kuura, and Kaura for the children. Lucia mentioned that the woman preferred public transportation but accepted her partner's expensive car, even if she suffered from climate anxiety and flying shame. The woman might also have a small dog. The author claimed that such a reader did not know any voters of the Finns Party and might consider her rural uncle, who had voted for the party at times, to be peculiar. She speculated that the woman worked in a field where she could aim to make the world a better place. Lucia called this a reader profile and target group for Helsingin Sanomat, whose interests and views, according to her, the paper's journalists anticipated. She wrote that HS did not aim for objective or neutral reporting, nor was it an agenda-driven media outlet. According to her, the paper's target group did not encompass all people regardless of their background, lifestyle, or viewpoints. She compared HS to a mirror held up by journalists so that the reader could be satisfied with what they saw, and concluded that the reader of the described profile was not the same as the writer of the piece. #Helsinki #ilmastoahdistus #lukijaprofiili (translated)