Finnish authorities have seized a beach section owned by the Russian state that was previously used by diplomats for recreation, media reports in Finland say. The area, located near the southern town of Haggesbole, covers 17 hectares of land and 3.5 hectares of marine waters. The seizure was executed on October 24 by Finnish bailiffs operating under a ruling on frozen Russian assets issued by the Court of International Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. In a related case, a piece of land belonging to the Russian Center for Science and Culture was confiscated earlier following a lawsuit from Ukraine's Naftohaz energy giant, which claims $5 billion in losses associated with Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. The Russian Embassy in Finland said on October 28 that it had not received official notification regarding the seizure. The Kremlin has stated it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICJ. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Finland Seizes Russian State Beach Property Amid Ongoing Legal Disputes
A view of the Finnish capital, Helsinki (file photo)