In a school located in the Finnish city of Espoo, an 11-year-old girl of Ukrainian descent was compelled to sing the song "Kalinka" during music class. This incident sparked outrage from the child's mother and the Ukrainian community, raising concerns about the normalization of the culture of the aggressor nation in Finland. According to Yle, the event occurred at Storängen school. The girl's mother, musician Irina Horkun-Silen, reported that her daughter Nicole, born in Finland, explained that during music class, the teacher was introducing the class to Russian culture, and all students were required to sing the song.
Nicole stated that she is Ukrainian and does not wish to use the Russian language. The teacher responded that “we do not speak about the war in school”, as reported.
The mother stated that her daughter realized that failing to complete the task would result in a poor grade, and thus she was forced to sing, which became a deeply traumatic experience for her.
The mother poses the question: “What if a Ukrainian child, whose parents were killed by Russians, were in her place?”
She also expressed surprise as to why the introduction to world musical cultures began with Russian, calling it the normalization of the aggressor. Adding to the irony of the situation is the fact that the song “Kalinka” gained worldwide popularity through the performances of the Red Army Choir – a powerful symbol of Soviet, and now modern Russian militaristic ideology.
The school principal, Ellinor Hellman, declined to comment on the incident, offering only a formal statement that the school adheres to the national curriculum and that teachers are “encouraged to thoughtfully respond to students’ questions, considering the needs of the entire group”.
In contrast, the Finnish National Agency for Education acknowledged that certain content may evoke strong emotions in the context of war. Lawyer Heidi Ruonala noted that teachers have pedagogical freedom and the opportunity to show flexibility by offering alternative tasks.
This incident turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg concerning systemic issues faced by Ukrainians in Finland. The head of the Ukrainian Society in Finland, Vasyl Hutsul, stated that the community is “deeply saddened” and that this situation raises questions about the appropriateness of promoting Russian culture in schools.
As representatives of the Ukrainian community explain, the problem is much broader: most services for Ukrainian refugees are provided in Russian, there are almost no Finnish courses with Ukrainian translation, and Ukrainian interpreters are often replaced with Russian ones.
“Even though Ukrainians understand and can speak Russian, it is traumatic for us because it is the language of those who are currently killing Ukrainians. This is not obvious to Finns”, says Horkun-Silen.
Expert from the “Culture” Fund, Eilina Husatynska, emphasizes that for Ukrainians, the Russian language is not neutral – it is the language of violence, war, and centuries of Russification.
“The Russian language carries historical and symbolic weight – the legacy of Russification and the erasure of Ukrainian identity. Without this understanding, it is easy to inadvertently reproduce the old colonial model, where Ukrainian culture once again finds itself in the shadow of the so-called common post-Soviet space”, she concluded.