Finnish Lawmakers Report Suspicious Home Break-Ins

LONDON -- The Finnish authorities said Thursday that they were investigating a series of suspected break-ins at the homes of members of parliament in which nothing appeared to have been stolen or damaged.Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters that it was "very possible" there was a foreign actor behind the suspected home entries, according to Yle, the Finnish national broadcaster.Without directly pointing the finger at Russia, Orpo noted that Finland had an election coming in the spring and that, "We see in several European countries that Russia has sought to influence elections." His office declined to elaborate.There were a "considerable" number of suspected intrusions at homes last week, Jussi Halla-aho, the speaker of parliament, told reporters, according to Yle.There was no obvious damage, but there were "certain general signs that recur" in lawmakers' homes, which he said could have been left on purpose, Yle reported.Halla-aho said that giving details about what those "signs" were could hurt the investigation."Specifying the signs could potentially encourage copycat activities and/or contaminate future witness statements," Halla-aho said in an email.In recent weeks, European governments have spoken openly and urgently about a shadow war waged by Russia. They have warned that the Kremlin is using hybrid attacks to sow fear and panic in countries supporting Kyiv as Ukraine defends itself against the full-scale invasion that Russia launched in 2022.Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 and shares an 830-mile-long border with Russia, has been a fierce supporter of Ukraine. Eyeing its bellicose neighbor, Finland has been strengthening defenses. In recent months, drones have repeatedly crossed into Finnish territory, as well as into other countries that border Russia or Ukraine.The Helsinki police said Thursday that they had received information about "suspected intrusions" at the lawmakers' homes and that they had opened a preliminary investigation. They said they would not be commenting further.Finns will vote in parliamentary elections in April. Early polls suggest that public opinion is divided between the National Coalition Party, which is Orpo's center-right party; the historically powerful center-left Social Democrats; and a rising nationalist party, the Finns Party.Domestic economic issues are expected to dominate the race as Finland battles persistently high unemployment. But Finns tend to always have an eye on Russia, which has regularly tried to meddle in the elections of neighbors and of the United States. Last year, Yle reported, Finnish authorities said that a "pro-Russian hacktivist group" had disrupted the website of a major centrist agrarian party as Finns voted in regional and municipal elections.Finnish officials said that they would take any threat to their country very seriously."An attack on a member of parliament is an attack on democracy," President Alexander Stubb told reporters, Yle reported. "It should not be allowed or accepted in any form."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.