“RussiaVsWorld” continues to tell about Russian agents in Europe who promote Kremlin propaganda and Russian interests.
Today we will tell you about Paavo Lipponen, a former two-term Prime Minister of Finland (from 1995 to 2003). He also served as a speaker of the Parliament of Finland from 2003 to 2007.
Firstly, Lipponen is one of the few European politicians who did not support the Orange Revolution in Ukraine (2004). He also criticized neighboring Estonia for actively supporting the orange Kyiv, and even earlier, Georgia.
During 2008-2022, Lipponen lobbied the infamous, Gazprom (Russian state company) owned Nord Stream gas pipe. He was offered this job by two Germans and Putin’s BFFs: ex-chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schröder, and a former Stasis agent, Matthias Warnig.
Money and war
On 15 August 2008, during the 2008 South Ossetia war, Nord Stream 1 announced that it had signed a consulting contract with Lipponen. Russia had already invaded Chechnya for the 2nd time before.
As a result of the scandal that followed, Lipponen relinquished his office in the parliament building and resigned from all of his duties in Finland except veteran activities.
During 2007-2021, Cosmopolis (Lipponen’s company) made ~3.4 million euros in profit and Nord Stream AG was most definitely one of the company’s biggest clients. Lipponen continued to consult for Russia-state-owned Nord Stream throughout all these events.
Later, Poland reportedly blocked Lipponen’s candidacy as EU foreign policy chief because of Lipponen’s ties to Nord Stream.
So what do we have in the end? Lipponen works with the Russians and receives their money during: 2008 South Ossetia; 2009 murder of Sergei Magnitsky; 2014 Crimea annexation, the invasion of Donbas, the shoot-down of MH17; 2018 Skripal murders; 2022 Invasion of Ukraine. And only in March 2022, the contract between Lipponen-owned Cosmopolis and Nord Stream AG was dissolved.
