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By Essi Lehto
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's government is proposing to ban most Russian citizens from buying property in the Nordic country in a move to protect national security, Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said on Monday.
Relations between Finland and neighbouring Russia have soured since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which prompted Helsinki to join the NATO military alliance after decades of non-alignment.
The proposed ban on real estate purchases would exempt dual citizens and Russians with permanent residence in Finland or other European Union nations, and is subject to expert consultations before a later vote by parliament.
"The regulations are aimed at preventing possible hostile influences against Finland," Hakkanen told a press confrence.
Finland is already monitoring some 3,500 properties in the country linked to Russian owners, the minister said without elaborating.
Helsinki has for some time sought to limit Russian citizens' property acquisitions near strategic locations based on existing regulations, blocking three in October last year and another three in January this year.
Finland, which shares a 1,340 km (830 miles) border with Russia has shut all crossings between the countries and accused the Kremlin of weaponising migration by encouraging Asian and African migrants to seek asylum there.
(Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Louise Rasmussen, Terje Solsvik and Angus MacSwan)
