In Finland, candidate Devyatkin, who refused to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, was excluded from election
In Finland, Ivan Devyatkin, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was excluded from the list of candidates in the municipal elections in Lappeenranta. He refused to condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle, Censor.NET reports.
On Sunday, December 1, the Social Democrats announced the exclusion of the man from their lists of candidates in the municipal elections. The decision was made unanimously.
The party said that Devyatkin acted "contrary to party values by not directly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine," although it had been informed that it required a clear position from candidates on this issue.
The Social Democratic Party declined to comment further.
According to Yle, Devyatkin expressed his position in an interview with Iltasanomat in late November. In particular, he said that Finland is
51 states of the United States, and that closing the border with Russia is a violation of human rights.
Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war, Devyatkin said that it was "too broad a set of issues."
What is known about Ivan Devyatkin?
Devyatkin, who was born in Russia, moved to Lappeenranta in 2012 to pursue a PhD in environmental studies.
He says he currently works as an environmental impact assessment manager for a large Finnish forestry company.
