Finland Probes Russian Citizens' Fraudulent Citizenship Scheme

Finland citizenship acquisition: Almost two dozen Russians suspected of illegal schemes

Consensus

Finland is investigating a scheme involving Russian citizens obtaining Finnish citizenship and residence permits through fictitious employment.
The scheme is believed to have operated for over 20 years.
The main suspect is a Russian national who registered several companies in southeastern Finland starting in 2003.
These companies reportedly had no real business activity.
At least 12 Russian citizens are believed to have obtained Finnish citizenship through this scheme.
Five additional individuals were still in the process of obtaining citizenship when the investigation began in 2024.
The suspect and associates are accused of submitting false documents and taking language exams on behalf of others.
The suspects are charged with fraud under aggravating circumstances.
The investigation is being conducted by Finnish police and border guard authorities.

The scheme is believed to have originated after 2003. — riamo
The scale of the case was unexpected to investigators. — vm
The scale of the case may be larger than currently known, but statute of limitations has expired for some incidents. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
Four Russians were recently detained in Thailand over property worth 11.6 billion rubles registered under front owners. — vm