Properties belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch seized by Finnish authorities.

Finnish authorities have seized two holiday properties valued at over 2.5 million euros belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarch Boris Alyoshin, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported on Nov.

7. The properties, located in the Finnish municipality of Kirkkonummi, were first purchased in 2018 and then expanded two years later. In the original permit request to construct the seaside properties, Alyoshin said he wanted to have a place to go fishing in the summer.

Although Finnish authorities did not directly identify that Alyoshin was the owner of the seized properties, an investigation determined that the details released by the authorities could only match with the Russian businessman, Yle said. Alyoshin is listed on Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) website tracking individuals and companies sanctioned for their role in Russia's war on Ukraine. According to the NACP, Alyoshin is a member of the board of directors of the public joint-stock company, United Aircraft Corporation, which manufactures military equipment used by Russia's forces in Ukraine.

In addition to providing Ukraine with a significant amount of aid and joining NATO, Finland has also introduced restrictions on Russian citizens within the country. Finland's Defense Ministry has blocked certain property acquisitions by Russian nationals on security grounds, banned entry to Russian-registered cars, and floated the possibility that wider limitations on the purchase of real estate by Russian nationals would be introduced.

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News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a News Editor. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict.

Nate has a Master's degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine.

Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.