The Finnish Ministry of Defence has refused permission for a group of three Russian citizens to buy a former elderly care home in Lohiko, near Kankaanpää in the Satakunta region of southwest Finland.
The property is located right next to the Niinisalo garrison, which is the base of the Finnish Army unit's Artillery Brigade.
The ministry announced the decision on Wednesday afternoon, adding that Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen (Cen) signed the permit refusal.
Yle reported in the autumn that Russian buyers intended to purchase the Lohiko property, at which point the defence ministry began investigating the deal.
The City of Kankaanpää and the properties located within the municipality are of particular importance to the maintenance of national security, and the ministry said that such a large property located so close to the Niinisalo garrison could be used to the detriment of Finland's territorial integrity.
In a press statement, the ministry further noted that the reasons provided by the buyers for purchasing the property were not considered to be credible. The potential buyers also changed the intended use of the property several times following follow-up questions by the ministry.
The permit application originally stated that the property would be used for leisure purposes, but this was subsequently changed at least twice: first to a rehabilitation centre and then to a hostel.
Furthermore, the building on the property would require very extensive renovations in order to carry out the business activities proposed by the buyers, but the ministry said it did not receive a credible explanation as to how the renovations would be carried out or funded.
The decision to refuse permission is based on a law introduced in 2020 that requires non-EU and non-EEA citizens to apply for permission to buy property in Finland. The ministry used the law for the first time in October this year to block a Russian citizen from purchasing a house in Kotka, in the southeast of the country.
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