Flag of Finland. File photoHELSINKI, Jun 8 The Finnish Defense Forces are entering into lease agreements with owners of land bordering Russia to build fortifications, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper reported on Wednesday. Up to 100 letters are sent to landowners in various parts of Finland every year with a lease offer, the publication clarifies. In addition, the Defense Forces will pay compensation to landowners in accordance with the size of the plot — about 5 thousand euros per hectare, the newspaper said. «If the landowner does not want to conclude an agreement, nothing will follow. The Defense Forces will not enter anyone's land without permission» , — the publication quotes the representative of the Defense Forces, Sauli Khongisto. It is specified that the prices offered by the military are good compensation. For example, according to Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (an agricultural publication), the market price per hectare in 2019 in the capital region was about 5,100 euros, and in Lapland, 770 euros. The representative of the Defense Forces noted that land leasing is nothing new, and this practice was previously used in other regions of Finland that do not border Russia.
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