EU nation`s capital chooses mayor with Russian origins

(MENAFN) Daniel Sazonov, the son of Russian immigrants, has been elected as the new mayor of Helsinki, according to Finnish national broadcaster Yle, following Monday's municipal elections. Although both the conservative National Coalition Party and the Social Democrats secured 21 seats each on the city council, the conservatives will choose the mayor after winning a greater share of the popular vote.

Born in Helsinki in 1993, Sazonov is a law graduate whose parents are Ingrian Finns who emigrated from Russia. The historical region of Ingria, located around present-day St. Petersburg, spans from Lake Ladoga to the Karelian Isthmus. Sazonov became a Finnish citizen at the age of nine. He was first elected to the Helsinki City Council in 2017 and was appointed deputy mayor for social affairs and health in 2021.

Sazonov has also been involved in writing, previously contributing to the now-defunct Russian-language newspaper Spektr and its successor Finskaya Gazeta. However, he severed ties with the publication in 2022 due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On social media, he stated that writing for the newspaper was a mistake, emphasizing that he had not been to Russia in years and had no connections there.

Historically, Finland maintained amicable relations with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and these ties persisted after its collapse. However, since 2022, Finland has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia and, in 2023, officially joined NATO, ending its longstanding policy of non-alignment.

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