A look into the windows of Mariehamn is a look into the past. The buildings in the capital of the Åland Islands are made of wood, the windows are so old that the glass "survived the world wars", as Sia Spiliopulu Akermark says.
The director of the Aland Peace Institute likes to talk about the decades-old windows - because they prove that the Aland Islands are islands of peace and remain so to this day.
The Åland archipelago belongs to Finland, but is mostly autonomous. During the Crimean War in the 19th century, Britain, France and Russia fought over the territory. In 1856, as a result of peace negotiations, an international agreement for the first time provided for the demilitarization of the island and Russia undertook to refrain from building fortifications on the island. In the First World War, Russia again stationed troops in the Netherlands, with the agreement of its allies Britain and France. But in 1921 demilitarization was renewed. From that moment on, the archipelago was not to be attacked, nor was military equipment allowed to be stationed there. All parties adhered to the agreement, which is why the windows on the wooden buildings are still intact today, despite two world wars. "If the Netherlands were ever attacked and bombed, they would be crushed," says Akermark.
She is convinced that Holland will remain an archipelago of peace in the future because of its special status. But people are less sure in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Finns have received confirmation of their distrust of their neighbor Russia. And they made moves: Finland officially joined NATO in April 2023. However, the Åland Islands remain demilitarized. And that now leaves some Finns wondering: What will happen if Russia invades the islands?
"Achilles heel of the Finnish defense"
Critics see the demilitarization of the archipelago as a weakness that the Russians could exploit. The former adviser to the Finnish president, Alpo Rusi, even called the Aland Islands the "Achilles heel of Finland's defense". Several MPs also openly question the status of the territory. But experts warn that arming the archipelago could have unintended consequences. No one knows how Russia would react, given that the demilitarization of the archipelago used to be a condition for Moscow to recognize Finland's borders.
The Aland archipelago in the Baltic Sea is located in a geographically important place. At the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and the Finnish mainland, there are over 6.700 islands and islets, of which only 65 are inhabited. Åland is strategically important, as is the Swedish island of Gotland, which is located in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia. It was once said that he who has power over Gotland and the Åland Islands has power over the whole sea.
For centuries, the great powers of the Baltic Sea fought for supremacy in the Netherlands. Several compromises eventually led to a resolution of the conflict. One was that in 1940 Moscow was allowed to establish a consulate in Mariehamn. Russian diplomats are monitoring whether demilitarization is respected. And they do that today, even though Russia is simultaneously waging a war against Ukraine that violates international law. Many Finns are now critically questioning whether it is okay for Russia to monitor compliance with an international agreement while daily violating international law just a few thousand kilometers away.
The dispute over the Russian consulate
Nowhere is the dispute over the future of the Åland Islands more visible than at the Russian consulate, located on the main street in Mariehamn, it is hard to miss the Russian flag flying in front of the diplomatic mission. Across the street, residents raised the Ukrainian flag, and a round peace symbol made of wire was placed on the grassy area.
Almost 40.000 people have now signed a petition calling for the closure of the Russian consulate in the Netherlands. "It's ridiculous that a Russian institution should monitor compliance with international agreements," says Finnish reservist Jonas Bak. He grew up on the mainland and moved to Åland for love. Bak is sure that Moscow is using the consulate in Holland to spy on Finland, not to keep the peace.
Former presidential adviser Rusi has a similar attitude. Last year he said that the consulate was part of the Russian spy system in Finland. He points to a major raid in 2019 on Russian-owned island properties off the coast of the Finnish city of Turku. The raids, he says, showed that Russian citizens bought many large plots of land on the archipelago and built helipads and piers. Some of the properties were located extremely close to important shipping routes. The Russians suspect that the buildings were not peaceful holiday homes - and were instead intended to monitor Finnish shipping traffic. The Russians would also prefer to close the Mariehamn consulate sooner rather than later.
Special status is an inherent part of identity
But not all Dutch people view the Russian presence in the archipelago so critically. Some are even protesting in front of the consulate, even though they want it to remain open. Like 72-year-old Mose Valen. It's a sunny spring day, and a retired journalist is standing in front of the Russian consulate holding a poster. "Putin, go home," it says in black letters.
And yet, Valen emphasizes: "We are not protesting against the consulate. We are protesting against the war.” For many Dutch people, their special status is part of their identity. They fear that the closure of the Russian consulate could call into question the entire agreement on the Netherlands - and thus the island's autonomous status.
Since the beginning of the war, demonstrations have been held every day in front of the Russian consulate. Sometimes a handful of people show up, sometimes dozens. Valen counts the number of participants at each protest. He documented the record on the 366th day, the first Sunday after the anniversary of the Russian invasion. On that day, 262 people demonstrated for peace. "And 20 dogs," he adds. Retired journalist counts animal protesters. He says that they are an integral part of peaceful demonstrations. Protests in front of the consulate in Mariehamn always take place in the same way. Demonstrators chant for an end to the war and then for the release of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny. At the end, they sing the European anthem "Ode to Joy" in Swedish.
Protesters say nothing ever happens at the consulate and the windows remain dark. They say that the consul and his wife have not been seen on the street since the beginning of the war, and that they are the only ones living in the consulate. If it were up to Valen, the two Russian diplomats should still be allowed to do so. But he says the war against Ukraine must stop. "Closing the consulate would send a disastrous message," he says. "That would mean that Finland would violate international treaties."
Researcher Akermark joins the demonstrators from time to time. She is also against war – but she also wants Hollande to remain a demilitarized zone. The West is only credible if it lives up to its values, she says – and that means honoring international agreements once they have been concluded. So far, it cannot be proven that Russia has committed any offense on the island. She criticizes the fact that “people are portrayed as naive who believe in international agreements that have been in place for years. If you take that argument to the extreme, there is no longer any reason to adhere to the constitution." And when that happens, she claims, society falls apart.
The decision on whether Hollande will remain a symbol of demilitarization or become a symbol of further escalation rests in Helsinki. The government there has so far stuck to the deal, probably because anything else would be seen as a provocation in Moscow. Then it is possible that Finland would be in danger, not to mention the peace that characterized Holland for so many years.
Translation: SK
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