Name: Finlands Salla residents fear history could repeat itself
Uploaded: 2025-11-13T08:13:18.564Z
Duration: 2 min 44 s
Description: Memories of war linger in Finland’s Arctic town of Salla, as residents fear new tensions with Russia after joining NATO.

Memories of war linger in Finland’s Arctic town of Salla, as residents fear new tensions with Russia after joining NATO.

Salla

Residents of Salla, a Finnish border town, recount the impact of historical conflicts with Russia, including the displacement of families during the Soviet annexation in the Winter War of 1939. Local business owners, such as Timo Tuha, have adapted to shifting tourism trends, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Finland's subsequent NATO membership.

Tourism in the region, once popular with Russian visitors, has seen a decline in numbers from Russia since the annexation of Crimea, with most tourists now coming from Europe. Despite ongoing tensions, the community continues to look to the future while preserving the memory of past hardships.

Finland's Salla residents fear history could repeat itself

This is feeding time for these reindeer. Timo Tuha cares about the animals he uses for sleigh rides. Timo is a co-owner of a wilderness lodge and says he works hard to expand his business. His grandparents were evicted from the areas taken by the Soviets and spent a long journey to Sweden and back here where they settled and where he was born. It was a bittersweet memory. Sure, they did talk a little bit about it, not the whole truth, but you could sense that it was on their minds a lot. And I guess that's why they wanted to pass it on to the younger generations as well. So kind of look to the future, but know your past, I think was their message. Like many business owners, Timo had to figure out ways for his resort to survive. When Russia invaded Ukraine, tourists were worried about coming to the border area. But in time, he managed to reach out to other markets. After the first news about Finland applying to NATO, we started to get some email running in. And of course we were really happy that, OK, this wasn't the end of it all. And then after the approval, we got very close to the normal situation. So people clearly have a good trust on this NATO thing. This is the local war museum of Sala. The Russians, they advanced quite far here, almost to Kemjärvi. Seppo Selkala shows me a map of the border region annexed by the Soviets when they launched the Winter War against Finland in 1939. I think since we have always been at the border here for generations, we have just had to learn to live with the border. And of course there has been interaction across the border for as long as we remember, for many generations. And there has been ups and downs, and we still have to learn to live with that and cope with that. Lapland is home to Santa Claus. Its wilderness offers a spectacular landscape. The lakes, the ski resorts make it one of Finland's most visited regions. This used to be a popular attraction for Russian tourists, although their numbers declined when Russia annexed Crimea more than a decade ago. Now, most of the tourists are from Europe, although some remain reluctant to come here as long as tension with Russia persists. Hashmarmara, Algezira, in Sala town, near the Finnish border with Russia.

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