The escalating security situation in Ukraine continues to dominate headlines in Finland.
Tampere-based Aamulehti reports that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has cancelled his planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, while Turku daily Turun Sanomat writes that EU foreign ministers have reached a consensus on updated sanctions against Russia.
Helsingin Sanomat meanwhile analyses the impact the threat of war is having on both domestic and international stock markets, writing that markets are seeing even heavier slumps than in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Antti Saari, an economic strategist with Nordea, tells HS that the uncertainty over the situation — and especially what will happen next — is making markets nervous.
"Because of this, some investors are selling shares to make sure that there is no damage," Saari said.
If the crisis develops into a full-scale war, Saari added, there is likely to be a subsequent 5-10 percent drop in share prices.
"The key is what would happen to energy availability, especially in Europe," he told HS.
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) said on Tuesday that she was in favour of conducting a new risk analysis of the Fennovoima nuclear power project in light of the mounting tensions between Russia and the West.
Jokerit facing serious questions
The effects of the ongoing crisis are seeping into the world of sport as well.
Tabloid Iltalehti reports that Finnish pro ice hockey team Jokerit has faced calls — including from its own supporters club Eteläpääty — to withdraw from the Russian-dominated Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in protest at the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine.
However, IS writes that Jokerit announced via a press statement on Tuesday evening they currently have no plans to withdraw from the KHL or end the season prematurely.
"The change in the security situation in Europe as a whole is worrying and where can all this lead? All in all, the situation is extremely difficult and unfortunate," CEO Sami Kauhanen said.
Jokerit are set to face Spartak Moscow in the KHL conference playoffs next week, with the first two games scheduled to take place in Helsinki on 1 and 3 March, before the series switches to Moscow for games three and four.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and engaging in an active dialogue with stakeholders. We will also closely monitor any decisions regarding sanctions and we will comply with them fully in our operations," Kauhanen added.
In 2020, the Eteläpäätysupporters club called for a boycott of Jokerit home games in protest at plans to play a controversial KHL away game in the Belorussian capital Minsk following the violent suppression of anti-government protests in the city. The team eventually decided not to travel.
Sparv: Football community must "do their bit"
In addition to demands for Jokerit to take a stand, HS also reports that Finland's former football captain Tim Sparv has called on football authorities to move this season's Champions League Final — European football's showcase event — away from the Russian city of St Petersburg.
"The Champions League final should not be played in Russia. Time for the football community to do their bit," Sparv tweeted on Tuesday.
Sparv has previously spoken out on many issues, including the problem of racism within the game, equal pay for male and female players, and the plight of migrant workers building stadiums for this year's World Cup finals in Qatar.
According to the BBC, European's football governing body UEFA is "almost certain" to switch the venue away from St Petersburg.
"Quite unbearable pain"
With Finland's Winter Olympic medal-winning heroes gradually returning home, Iltalehti lays on a photo montage of some of the best — and most painful — moments from Beijing.
The gallery includes a photo of the very unfortunate Finnish cross-country skier Remi Lindholm, who suffered a frozen penis while participating in the men’s 50km mass start skiing race at the games.
"Quite unbearable pain," IS quotes Lindholm's description of the experience.
The Finnish skier's predicament even made international headlines, with the Guardian writing that this was the second time this has happened to Lindholm during a cross-country skiing race, following a similar incident in Ruka, Finnish Lapland last year.