Thursday's papers: Russian immigrants, munitions boom, digital diplomas

Ilta-Sanomat reports that a record number of Russians immigrated to Finland last year, more even than following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Reporting on the latest figures from Statistics Finland, the daily Ilta-Sanomat tells readers that a record number of approximately 6,000 people immigrated from Russia to Finland in 2022.

In comparison, when the Soviet Union drew its last breath in 1991, around 5,500 people from the entire USSR moved to Finland.

Commenting on these statistics, the paper writes that the figures and the difference may seem small, but they are a sign that Russians are losing faith in Vladimir Putin's regime even more than the Soviets lost faith in the workers' paradise.

The 2022 immigration figure does not include the more than 1,100 Russian men who applied for asylum in Finland last year, rather than face conscription to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Ilta-Sanomat describes Russia's plan for a law on the criminalisation of "Russophobia" as a new trick by the Kremlin to sow discontent among Russians living abroad.

The paper writes that if Russia starts handing out show-style in absentia criminal convictions to foreign officials, the motive will be to try to make Russians living abroad feel suspicion and animosity towards their new homelands. The battle will be fierce also for the souls of Russians in Finland, Ilta-Sanomat predicts.

One of the morning's most-read items in Helsingin Sanomat's online service is a report on production at the Lapua cartridge factory, located in the small town of Lapua in South Ostrobothnia.

The paper notes that the plant is experiencing a surge in production due a sharp increase in the demand for military-calibre cartridges in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Raimo Helasmäki, CEO of the plant's owner, Nammo Lapua, told HS that just a few years ago, military-calibre cartridges accounted for 15–20 percent of the factory's production. Now that figure has risen to 40–50 percent. The factory also produces ammunition for civilian applications.

The company is making major investments in expanding production with the aim of manufacturing cartridges and components in three shifts. It is looking to increase its workforce by 10 percent, with a need especially for metal, automation and maintenance workers.

The Lapua cartridge factory is currently celebrating its centenary, marking 100 years since its founding as a state munitions plant.

Because of exceptionally high levels of production, the price of electricity in Finland fell into negative territory on Wednesday, and Aamulehti writes that negative electricity prices are a cause for concern for some households with solar panels.

During the energy crisis, some homeowners got excited about installing solar panels and becoming power producers themselves, feeding excess electricity into the power grid.

Just like large power utilities, households that produce electricity also have to pay for supplying current to the grid when prices turn negative.

Whether a household will be charged for periods of negative prices depends on the terms of their contracts with their power company.

Veli-Matti Virtanen, an expert at the state consulting company Motiva, tells Aamulehti that most sales contracts specify that compensation for electricity from home solar panels is paid according to the exchange market rate.

"If the spot price of electricity is negative, the small producer basically has to pay for the electricity fed into the grid," says Virtanen.

Pekka Salomaa of the trade association Finnish Energy advises householders producing electricity to feed as little surplus electricity as possible into the electricity grid during periods of negative prices. One means is to increase their own consumption, for example, by turning up the hot water heater or charging an electric car.

For the first time this year, new upper- secondary school graduates will now receive an electronic diploma, which can be downloaded free of charge online.

Savon Sanomat is among the papers reporting that just over 25,000 upper-secondary pupils have complected their studies, passed matriculation exams and will soon be given diplomas and traditional white student caps.

Tiina Tähkä, general secretary of the Matriculation Examination Board, told the Uutissuomalainen news group that the introduction of digital diplomas will make it easier especially to apply for studies abroad.

"This has been requested for a long time, because foreign universities ask applicants for certificates digitally. It is the modern way, this is how the world works," Tähkä says.

Matriculation examination information has been available in digital form to Finnish higher education institutions. However, up until now, it has not been available for transfer directly to foreign countries.

One advantage of a digital diploma is that it is almost impossible to forge, as it includes authentication technology.

"It will also make life easier for students, because an electronic diploma cannot be lost like a paper one. It can be downloaded again from the online service at any time," Tiina Tähkä points out.

Even though matriculation records will be electronic, there are no plans to give up paper diplomas completely. The printed diploma is seen as an important tradition, and many new graduates want to show it off to relatives and friends at graduation parties.

Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email.