Russia Wants to Gag Finnish Media
Russia's Minister of Trade, German Gref, has called on the Finnish government to intervene in the way the Finnish press has handled reports of the involvement of Russian diplomats in a prostitution ring in Helsinki.
According to a report in the news magazine Suomen Kuvalehti, the Russian minister called Finnish Foreign Trade Minister Paula Lehtomäki and demanded that she intervene in the way the case has been handled in the Finnish media.
Lehtomäki confirmed to YLE Television News on Thursday evening that the issue had been discussed at the ministerial level. However, she would not give any details on the discussion. She did say that she personally did not feel that she was under any pressure, and that the discussions took place in a good and constructive spirit.
Police believe that a Russian woman living in Helsinki had led a prostitution ring using apartments owned by the Russian Trade Representation. Russia has denied that its diplomats knew that the apartments were used in the sex trade.
YLE24, Suomen Kuvalehti
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