According to the Finnish Broadcasting Cooperation YLE, the Minority Ombudsman’s study shows that Russians in Finland feel they’re on the outskirts society. They for example cited difficulty in communicating with authorities. Interviewees also said they would like to see more Finnish domestic news broadcast in Russian to help them stay better in tune with Finnish society.
Russian-speakers said they sometimes refrain from speaking their native language in public to avoid drawing negative attention. Some Russian pupils interviewed said they often avoid speaking Russian at school to prevent bullying and name-calling.
The Finnish Ombudsman for Minorities, Johanna Suurpää, says it’s time Finns begin treating Russian immigrants as equal members of society.
While attitudes may be slow to change, Suurpää says that employers, particularly those in eastern Finland, highly appreciate Russian language skills. There are even plans to introduce Russian-language classes in schools in areas with high concentrations of Russian-speaking residents.
Some 50,000 Russian-speakers live in Finland. In 2008, Russians were the largest immigrant group seeking residence permits in Finland.
