Poll: Over 80% of Finns Support Ukraine in War Against Russia

A survey among the Finnish population has shown a high level of support for Ukraine in its opposition to Russian aggression.

This is evidenced by the results of the Finnish Business and Policy Forum's (EVA) survey on the values and attitudes of the Finnish population, which were published on 18 November.

The overwhelming majority of respondents believe that Russia should lose the war and withdraw its troops from Ukraine: 57% of respondents strongly agree with this, while another 28% rather agree (i.e. 85% in total).

Almost the same number of Finns (56% and 28%) believe that Russia should return to Ukraine the territories it occupied after the full-scale invasion in February 2022. When asked whether Crimea should also be returned, 38% strongly agree and 42% mostly agree.

Overall, more than 80% also agree that Russia should pay compensation for rebuilding Ukraine.

63% of Finnish citizens believe it is necessary, and more than a quarter (27%) rather agree, that those responsible for war crimes in Ukraine should be brought to justice. Moreover, according to 51% of respondents, this should also apply to the top leadership of the Russian Federation. And 27% say that a change of government should take place in Russia.

In addition, a majority of respondents (55%) in Finland also believe that Ukraine would be a good candidate for NATO membership in the future, while only 15% of Finns are against it.

The EVA poll, which was conducted from 15 to 27 September, is based on responses from 2,045 respondents aged 18-79. The margin of error for the results at the population level is 2-3 percentage points in each direction.

As previously reported by The Gaze, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has approved the government's proposal to provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth approximately €100 million.

This is the twentieth defence package provided by Finnish allies to Ukraine. The total amount of assistance from the country has already reached €1.5 billion. According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence, the new aid package includes additional military equipment. The Finnish government traditionally does not disclose the detailed contents of the parcels, as well as the schedule and method of delivery.

In addition, on 18 November, the Finnish government decided to close some checkpoints on the border with Russia due to the growing flow of asylum seekers. Officials claim that Russian border guards are deliberately letting people through without the appropriate travel documents.