Russia has sent Finland a diplomatic note, also known as a 'letter of protest', the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed news agency STT on Wednesday.
The ministry initially declined to comment on the content of the note, but later confirmed to Yle that Russia objected to the displaying of a destroyed Russian tank in the centre of Helsinki.
"In the note, Russia expressed its indignation about the tank," the ministry stated.
In diplomatic terms, a note is a formal communication sent between governments to raise a particular issue.
Citing Russian media sources, tabloid newspaper Ilta-Sanomat earlier reported that the Russian embassy in Helsinki sent the correspondence about the presence of the tank on Kansalaistori.
"We believe that the passive and tacit acceptance by the Finnish authorities of the organising of this event will lead to a further deterioration of relations between our countries," the note said, according to a report by Russian news outlet Ria Novosti.
The T-72B3 tank, which was damaged near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in March 2022, has been on display since the end of last week in the capital's Kansalaistori, directly across from the parliament building.
The exhibition was arranged by two organisations, Ukrainian Association in Finland and Your Finnish Friends, as a means of demonstrating the brutality of Russia's attack on Ukraine and reminding people that the war is still ongoing.
Edit note: Article updated at 13:45 on 22.11.2023 to include quotes and confirmation from ministry about content of note.
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