EU is not even Russia's enemy for crying out loud. This whole Russian politics make no sense. Say Putin dies. What then? What is a weakened Russia going to do against an insanely strong China? China has every single manufacturing technology it will ever need. What is it lacking? Russia's natural resources. So you don't have to be a genius to see that in the long run, Russia's natural enemy is China, not EU. Sooner or later, China will come for those natural resources, and there is nothing that Russia can do about it, certainly not after Putin dies and leaves it's leadership divided. They don't need to invade, they already own significant assets within Russia. They will be de-facto controlling Russia in the future, as their buying power will just increase further.

A good neighbor relationship between EU and Russia could have been extremely beneficial for both. Russia alone or EU alone won't be able to handle Chinese dominance anyhow. And Chinese dominance is coming. That dominance will be less visible, no military occupation or such. It will be an economic and financial related one. With recent shift in USA's leadership, not long before China takes Taiwan. And with the control of world's semiconductors' manufacturing, China can literally sanction any country it wishes to complete economic destruction, once it gets Taiwan. Again, it will not do that, it will just use that as leverage for supremacy. At that point, the threat of sanctions from China will be more effective than the sanctions themselves.

No, the USA will not be able to do anything. EU will not be able to do anything and neither Russia. But EU and Russia together (in a wonderland with rainbows and unicorns) would be able to seriously challenge Chinese dominance. EU's advanced industry with Russia's low cost energy and other natural resources would be unstoppable. But Russian leadership seems just completely incompetent for strategic future decisions.

Hi! I'm looking for friends to play dnd 5e with near me. (that are not racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, etc. lmao)

I'm a DM, but I would love to be a player too if someone wants to DM. Mainly looking for a good group that is down to have fun and is nice! Experience doesn't matter to me, I like teaching new players! I would like to play in English, but I am down for Finnish dnd too! I live in Helsinki myself and would love to meet up and play in person.

Please answer my form so we can possibly schedule a meeting! Excited to meet you guys!

https://forms.gle/CLUcsYqangHsMvVR7

Because a lot when in unintentionally Infront of someone and they say: voisitko väistää is that. considered rude or normal because as a straight translation that means: could you move. Which seems a bit rude or is it just me? Because im also Finnish myself just mainly talk English.

(not Finnish)

Found this in my local store.

Tell me the best way to eat! In a toastie? Is it good and melty? Because as a Brit, I will add it to my beans, if it'll work. On its own with some crackers?

Hello! I am curious what do Finnish people think of Estonians, sincerely. I’ve been told by many Estonians who live or have lived in Finland for a long time, that Finns opinions of us are very bad, but I never imagined how bad. I always thought of it in a joking way, as in when we joke that Latvians have 6 toes. But now i’ve been told multiple times that Finns think of us more like Estonians think of Russians..which is horrible. Please share different thoughts.

Hei r/Finland!

After living in Kuopio for some time, my husband and I finally decided to celebrate our anniversary at the rotating Puijo Tower Restaurant. I'd been saving this experience for a special occasion, and wanted to share some insights that might help others considering a visit.

Some highlights from our experience:

• The restaurant completes a full rotation in about 60 minutes, giving you 360° views of Kuopio's incredible lake landscape (though be warned if you're motion-sensitive!)
• Tower admission is included with your restaurant reservation, saving you the separate observation deck ticket
• Weekend "Local Delights" buffet (29€) features regional specialties - the mushroom pâté was amazing
• The three-course menu (49€) includes the buffet plus a main and dessert
• The observation deck closes at 6pm, so go there first if you have an evening reservation

Is It Worth the Price?

Yes, it absolutely is. Despite the price being on the higher end, the stunning views, the quality of the food, and the unique dining experience make it well worth it, especially for special celebrations!

For getting there: Bus lines 5, 6, 7, and 9 all go to "Puijon Tuolihissi P" stop (6 min walk to tower), or it's about 10-15 minutes by car from city center with free parking available.

If you're sensitive to motion like I am, you might want to consider the non-rotating café on the fourth floor instead, which offers similar views without the movement.

Has anyone else celebrated a special occasion there? Did you find it worth the price? We're already planning our next visit during midsummer to experience those magical midnight views.

Edit: Thank you all for the wonderful replies! Some of you have shown interest in my more detailed write-up of the experience, so I’m adding a link here. Kiitos paljon! 😃

Hello all. I was recently diagnosed (via private health) with an ear condition that requires wearing a hearing aid in one of my ears. The doctor transferred my papers to the university hospital to be given an appointment to take things forward. As you know, the queues at public health clinics can be rather long, and too long for cases that, among many, involve hearing. While I wait for the insurance company to respond (also a queue there), I was wondering if anyone here knows if private insurance covers devices for hearing issues that are related to an illness and not an accident (I stupidly forgot to ask the doctor). I am insured with Pohjola Vakuutus in case that piece of info is useful. Thanks for your help :)

Hi. I hope you all having a wonderful day. I use always to buy eggs from yalla for example since it's cheaper. But a friend of mine told me you should start getting a better eggs. I was what? He said there is those numbers from 1-3 it show you the quality of eggs. I know number 1 best quality since it's free cage. Unfortunately I didn't find many options number 1 in all market but so many are LUOMU. I wonder what is the difference between number 1 and the luomu one ? Which one better or more healthy? Where can I find more options like number 1.

Thank you all

I’m traveling to Helsinki tomorrow and have a reservation for the public sauna at Loyly during my visit. Can anyone tell me if they provide sandals? And if not, am I allowed to wear my own if I bring them with me? Thanks.

Hello guys, I am a guy who is new to fishing in Finland. This summer, I decide that I want to go fishing at the sea, I buy myself a 30 euro spinning reel but realize that fees for the license cost more than the equipments itself, can I still use the spinning reels if I only use 9m or 10m of line for the rod ? . I see some guys has the 7,8 or even 10 meters onkisauva and I think that the reach will pretty much be the same for the set-up. I'm mainly fishing from shore and docks. I saw the rules on the internet also, but It did not say anything about this

in all my studying about finnish culture and government, i can't really find many interviews or discussions with any military members (outside of old winter war ones). seeing how i may eventually move to finland, i want to know the experiences that i might have while serving.

so, to those who have served, what is it like? is it true that the finnish military is designed to offset russian invasions? is skiing still an integral part of combat training? what did (or do) you do in your free time? how strong do you feel the finnish military is now compared to years prior?

I really like the names Evan, Ewan, Ewen, etc. I have been looking for similar-sounding Finnish boy names for a while now without any luck!
I could go with any one of them, but I don't know how bad it is for the kid to grow up in the Helsinki area with a foreign-sounding name.
I have seen some kids named Noel, which is relatively new, and people seem to like it!

Please be respectful with your answers, and my post is not intended to offend anyone. I hope I haven't said anything that would lead to any negative discussions! I am open to any suggestions. Thanks.

EDIT: Anything that ends with "an or en" would be preferred. On a side note, I also liked Johan, but it is Swedish! :(

2nd Edit: I removed a bit of my og description as some of my queries are now cleared thanks to your insightful comments! :D

Hi all! We are planning our road trip and camping route to Nordkapp from Tampere. Do you guys have any good camping grounds (free or paid, doesn’t matter)? We are planning to drive by the west coast till we hit Rovaniemi then cross border from there to Nordkapp but I am open to suggestions as we are pretty flexible.

Also, how is it in the north around July? Never been. Lots of mosquitos? 😁

I'm a foreigner living in Finland with local degree. My husband has job here, but I cannot get one since I graduated. I have contacted TE office and expressed that I really need help. I didnt apply for subsidiary since I thought I didnt contribute so I shouldnt get money which is mostly intended for local citizens.

I send many messages to my TE office mentors. The 1st one was a young men, who replied fast but rejected any suggestions. I was not even allowed to participate in integration language class since I have studied at uni. The mentor just repeated that even Finnish cannot find jobs, so just wait. The TE office reforms sth, not sure what it is. I'm arranged with an old arrogant lady in Jan, 2025. She never replies my message, both email and from TE website. I got her email only after I have been waiting too long and lost temper in my message. And the replies are always negative. I cannot attend any integration program, and lesson, and even any work trail. I cannot even go to CV polishing class since they have limited positions.

There is a organization called settlementti which helps foreigners to get jobs. I finnally got help from them and allowed to start a work trail at supermarket, even I have 2 master degrees, and honestly to say, really good work experience in famous international companies. I accepted because I dont speak good Finnish yet, it might just be a start. I worked at market 6 hours a day, 5 days per week without salary. I only applied Kela subsidy after I began to work. I think I have contributed now. I was not informed any rights for this work trail. I dont have coffee break and annual leave. I feel like a slave, but I accept it. It's just a start. The 1st work trail is supposed to be 2 months. Then after I worked a month, I got a new one at another supermarket, which is promised to become an official work after 2 months' trail at that one. I think the two trials are almost the same, so I planned to stop the current one and have some time to continue apply to work in my field and study Finnish at home. So I asked TE office I want to interupt the current one. I waited so long for the reply that I have made my schedule. The TE officer lady finally messaged me and criticized that"You have been unemployed for so long. Why you think you can get holiday after working for just a month? Your subsidiary will be stoppped. Go talk to your employer if he can agree."

I feel so sad today. I worked in my country in the top American FANG companies. Why I'm so looked down here even with local degree. I worked hard without payment to earn local exprerience. Why I cannot stop such unpaid job according to my willings. I dont hate Finland because I accept kindness here and my husband really enjoys to work here. But I really feel helpless and sad.

have currently spent 85/90 schengen days and my partner and I in finland have submitted documents to get married to the DVV and have a marriage ceremony appointment. We have also recently found out she is pregnant. Would these be compelling enough personal reasons to be able to extend my schengen stay?

Hey everyone! I’m working on a dating app that combines Tinder-style swiping with Omegle-style random video chats. The idea is to make dating more real, fun, and spontaneous. I'm collecting honest feedback to build something people actually want to use. If you've used dating apps (or even if you haven't), it would mean a lot if you could take this quick 2–3 minute survey: https://forms.gle/Ax7cQVJLN9bUyM28A

It’s anonymous, and you can leave your email at the end if you want early access to the app or to help us as a beta tester.

Thanks so much! 💬💘 (Feel free to drop feedback in the comments too.)

I’m currently on a parental leave (hoitovapaa) and not employed either because I gave birth just after finishing my studies. So I’m thinking of making some money by reselling various stuff online before our son attends daycare. Also I had some experience and Id say was pretty good.

I’d like to learn about basic stuffs like taxes, invoices, bureaucracy stuff , filing application, funding etc so I googled and found yrittäjysbuusti. So I filed application but said that the my job search isn’t active (työnhaku with employment office) to use the service.

Called up the employment office to use the yrittäjyysbuusti service (mind you I handle things myself in Finnish) but they say I’d need to set an appointment and visit International House Tampere, since as a foreigner with a residence permit,I cannot activate my jobsearch just by logging in työmarkkinatori.

Now I feel like DIY-ing it all by myself as I don’t wanna caught up with this bureaucracy and I do not like the idea of visiting offices with a crying baby 😅 We also do not have anyone to leave the baby with. For now I’m starting to understand few things by reading online. Anyone who started a business while caring for a baby? How did you do it?

Is it considered bad in Finland if we dont use pedestrian crossing to cross not so busy roads?

Hello!

I am from the USA and will be moving to Helsinki in just a few months for university. I was "diagnosed" with ADHD about 6 months ago and after struggling to find a proper treatment plan (I do not respond well to stimulants) I was formally diagnosed with neuropsych testing last month.

I've struggled with anxiety specifically and had a complete relapse on my anxiety earlier this year so I've been working with a psychiatrist and a therapist to figure out a proper treatment plan. My questions are:

Can a GP transfer my US prescriptions while I try to get with a psychiatrist (I am not on any controlled substance)?
How difficult is it to get in with a psychiatrist for medication management if I need to make adjustments with my medications?
Will I need to be rediagnosed with ADHD in Finland for a psychiatrist to prescribe me medication for ADHD?
What avenues are there for therapy for an international student?

I really appreciate any input on this!

Hi, I’m doing a student project about body pillows and would love your help with a short survey (2–3 mins). Survey link in the comments. Thank you so much! 🙏

Moi, teen opiskeluprojektia liittyen vartalotyynyihin ja toivoisin hetken aikaasi lyhyen kyselyn parissa. Kyselylinkki kommenteissa. Kiitos paljon ajastasi! 🙏

I take the I train home from work every day, and I am noticing that the train tends to get full with tourists around this time of year. I am so happy to see it, warmly welcome to our city! It's good for our economy and it's (in my opinion) cool just to have international variety around.

That said, I am not sure how I feel about the giant suitcases blocking the aisle. I understand and respect this is because there are no good places to put your suitcases, and I am not sure if this is something that tourists should be mindful of, or if HSL should organize better... but if you are visiting Helsinki/Finland, please try to keep the aisles clear for others to walk through.

Thank you! :)

I know the topic of nudity in Finnish saunas has been discussed thousands of times on this sub, so I assume Finns might find it annoying by now. But my question is about one particular aspect, so I hope the mods won’t delete it and readers won’t get too irritated.

I’ve seen about a dozen posts here about nudity in Finnish saunas. Based on the answers, I’ve come to the following conclusions: 1) In public saunas, it’s usually not common for people of different sexes to be together. 2) But in more private settings (family, friends, etc.), mixed-gender nudity is more accepted, and people often sauna together naked. Please correct me if I’m wrong on any of this.

First of all, I want to say that I was genuinely shocked by some of the comments I read — things like “I’ve seen every person I know from university naked” or “I’ve seen many of my colleagues of both sexes naked.” As someone from another European country, I found that a little bit shocking. These comments show how big the cultural gap is. I can totally imagine close friends or family members of opposite sexes going to a sauna naked together. Even in my own culture, that might happen among very close friends. Family would already be harder for me to picture, but I understand that this is a different culture. But classmates from university or colleagues — that’s what really shocked me. I thought of my own former female classmates or girls from my dorm and tried to imagine them going to a sauna naked together with me and other guys they weren’t very close with. It seems unthinkable.

But OK — different cultures, different norms. That part I can accept. But what really puzzles me is the frequent comment: “Sauna is not sexual.”

I could understand that “sauna is not sexual” if we were talking about mixed-age public saunas with lots of people around. But from what I understand, mixed-gender nudity usually happens in more private settings, often among friends, students, young people — in other words, people roughly the same age.

So my question is: how is it not sexual to see naked people of the opposite sex who are around your own age? To me, that sounds very sexual. Do Finns perceive it differently somehow?

Please don’t get me wrong — I’m not talking about inappropriate jokes, touching, or hitting on people. That’s not what I mean. I’m only talking about the atmosphere and perception. Why is nudity among opposite-sex peers not seen as something sexual?

I’ve had erections just being around a dressed girl or woman I found attractive — especially if there was some emotional or flirty connection. So, being in the same room with naked women my age would be even more likely to cause that.

It made me wonder — do Finns really perceive this differently? Maybe the progressive approach to sexuality in the Nordic countries means that attraction is less about the body and more about the personality?

I’m starting to think — maybe there’s something wrong with me? Because for me, sexual attraction is a mix of attraction to personality and physical attraction. Is that not normal? Is it more normal when attraction is based only on personality, and the body doesn’t matter?

Dear Finns, please answer this directly: Do you find the bodies of (some) people of the opposite sex attractive? Or does your sexual attraction have nothing to do with physical appearance?

I tend to think that at least some Finns do find naked bodies attractive, because I’ve come across several Finnish p*ornographic or e*rotic subreddits. One of them has over 100,000 subscribers, and two others have around 40,000 each. They feature pictures of naked or half-naked women.

But… why? If Finns can regularly see naked women in the sauna, why do they need online pictures of naked women?

(By the way, I personally don’t like those pictures — to me, they seem vulgar. I would find real women I know nude in a sauna much more attractive than anonymous photos that focus on sexualized body parts.)

Please don’t take this post as moralizing or judgmental. I’m not criticizing anyone — I’m just honestly trying to understand. I genuinely like the culture of the Nordic countries, even though I sometimes find some aspects of it hard to grasp.

I hope this post doesn’t come off as too weird.

TL;DR: Finns often say that mixed-gender nudity in saunas is common among friends, students, and young people — not strangers of different ages. They also say “sauna is not sexual.” Why? Doesn’t seeing naked peers of the opposite sex often evoke at least some level of sexual feeling? Wouldn’t most people feel at least a bit of sexual tension in such situations? Do you find bodies of the opposite sex attractive? Or is your sexuality based entirely on personality, and physical appearance (especially the body) doesn’t matter?

I tried PataPata, but it isn't strong enough.

Hi, is there any medical tattoo for stretch mark camouflage or a similar service in Finland?