The City of Helsinki has filed legal action against Helsinki Halli, the firm behind an arena that has been out of use for years due to Russian sanctions.
According to the City, Helsinki Halli has not made rent payments for the land it leases from the city since 1 July, with arrears currently totalling around 212,000 euros.
The City filed the legal action at Helsinki District Court on 30 October, according to a press release.
The City said that it sent the firm a threat-of-cancellation notice and payment reminder on 19 September.
"Since the outstanding payments are still unpaid, the City demands that the lease be terminated," its release stated.
The facility, formerly known as Hartwall Areena, has been closed since the end of February 2022, when Russia began its full-blown invasion of Ukraine.
The arena's Russian owners are currently subject to a myriad of EU sanctions.
In September, it was reported that sanctions have also prevented the arena's maintenance firm from paying its electricity and district heating bills.
Last spring, it was reported that the City of Helsinki aimed to purchase the arena. At the same time, several others have tried to buy the facility, but were unsuccessful due to the sanctions.
The venue — with a capacity of nearly 14,000 — is located in Helsinki's Ilmala district, near the Pasila transport hub.