OREANDA-NEWS Finland has suffered from the severance of ties with Russia, including a negative impact on the country's economy. This was stated by Sergey Ivanov, permanent member of the Security Council, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Environmental Protection, Ecology and transport, in an interview with TASS.

He stressed that the refusal to cooperate with Russia was the decision of the Finnish authorities, not its people. According to Ivanov, the southeastern part of the country had the hardest time, as "depopulation" began there due to the absence of Russian tourists.

"Everything has collapsed, there is no economy and there cannot be. I think over time they will begin to realize that good neighborly relations with Russia are much more beneficial for Finland than their complete absence and hostility, as is happening now," he said.

Earlier, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo admitted that Helsinki's decision to sever ties with Russia had a negative impact on the country's economy. He pointed out that due to the closure of the border, Finland does not receive ten million cubic meters of wood for the forestry industry.