Turku “annexes” parking spot in front of Russian consulate

The Finnish city has been waging its own war of values against the Russian invasion

It all started as a citizen’s personal initiative when last week a Ukrainian flag was painted on the parking space in front of the Russian consulate in Turku, Finland. Apparently, this was the protestor’s way of saying that the city should annex this piece of land after he held a “one-man referendum” to determine to whom the parking lot belongs.

The city administration had to weigh in on the situation and it seems they have decided that the flag can stay for as long as the paint lasts, thus clearly siding with the citizen, whose name is Jarno Virtala.

The City of Turku's Communications Director Saara Malila told the local newspaper Turun Sanomat: "That is probably a matter for each individual to decide, but it could be interpreted as a statement that the city is not going to deliberately remove it." The city council will only intervene if the paint causes traffic problems and impedes safety.

Anti-war stance

The Turku administration has been in clear opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the recent sham referenda held in the occupied territories, whose predetermined results meant their annexation to the aggressor.

Also last week, and even before the parking lot ‘annexation’ incident, the city’s mayor Minna Arve suggested that the consulate itself should be shut down and that Turku didn’t need Russia’s presence.

Arve told the media that her desire to eject the Russian consulate has developed over time. With far fewer people now seeking tourist visas to travel to Russia, the need for the consulate had dramatically decreased, she explained. Previously, Turku was twinned with St Petersburg in Russia.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry, however, declined to act upon such an invitation saying that this would only cause Russia to retaliate with closures of Finnish consulates on its territory.