Authorities avert flood crisis amid tensions along Finland-Russia border

Last spring, a situation developed along the eastern Finnish border that could have potentially escalated into a dispute. Authorities in Southeastern Finland were concerned about Russia’s reaction to the unusual and significant water discharge from Finland to Russia. The large volumes of water flowing from Lake Saimaa to the Vuoksi River could have resulted in flooding damages downstream in Russia.

“We considered how the Russians would react if damage started occurring on their side,” stated Visa Niittyniemi, the head of the environmental and natural resources department at the Southeastern Finland ELY Center. During the spring and summer, record amounts of water had to be discharged into Russia due to the threat of major flooding in Eastern Finland—an event not seen in decades.

“By April, we were discharging over 1,000 cubic meters per second to Russia, marking the highest discharge in over 40 years,” Niittyniemi recalled. The last such occurrence was during the major floods of 1974-1975.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tensions along the eastern border have been high. Russia has been accused of using the situation to exert hybrid influence over Finland, including directing migrants without the necessary documents to Finnish border crossing points, prompting Finland to close its border.

Despite these tensions, effective communication between Finnish and Russian water authorities helped avert flood damages. Niittyniemi reported that interactions were notably professional during spring meetings, and an existing working group addressing cross-border water issues was reactivated, resulting in coordinated water discharge efforts that minimized damage.