Helsinki's Russian Science and Culture Center's Seizure Lifted

Finland has lifted its seizure of the Russian Science and Culture Center on Wednesday.

“Today, the interim measure against the Russian scientific and cultural center has been removed. Based on the ongoing investigation, there are no grounds for seizure,” said Aki Virtanen, head of the regional division of Finland's special enforcement agency, as reported by Finnish media.

The seizure of the land and the cultural center building was established at the request of Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the department assessed that the facility was linked to parties included in the EU sanctions list against Russia, Helsingin Sanomat previously reported.

In connection with the seizure of state property, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note to Finland's Foreign Ministry requesting an investigation into the legality of the temporary freezing of Russian assets.

“The Finnish Foreign Ministry has been asked to investigate how the activities of law enforcement are related to international law regarding the integrity of state property,” said Karoliina Romanova, spokesperson for the Finnish Foreign Ministry.