Russia infiltrated a Swedish peace organization – Connection to Tarja Cronberg – 2024-05-08 10:38:05

A member of the board of the Swedish peace research institute Sipri served at the same time as an advisor to the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

In April 2021, the Swedish government appointed a Russian citizen Fyodor Voitolovsky as a member of Sipri’s supervisory board. Voitolovski is a Russian academic with very close ties to the Putin administration.

At the same time, the member of the executive board of the peace organization had a dual role as an advisor to the Russian Security Council.

Voitolovski was one of the key influencers behind the Baltic Platform influence operation. On Monday, Iltalehti reported together with its international partners how the seminar organized in Kaliningrad in April was actually about securing Russia’s military interests in the Baltic Sea region.

The Security Council of the Russian Federation is a body headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that coordinates the country’s security policy.

The secretary of the Security Council is the former head of the security service FSB, Nikolai Patrushev, and the vice-chairman is former president Dmitri Medvedev. Voitolovski has been awarded several honors by the Security Council.

The background behind Voitolovski’s appointment to Sipri was the government of Sweden’s then Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. Sipri’s board recommended Voitolovski.

At that time, the chairman of the board was the former deputy secretary-general of the UN and former foreign minister of the Social Democrats, Jan Eliasson. Löfven’s successor, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, appointed Löfven as Eliasson’s successor to Sipri’s executive board in March 2022.

Fyodor Voitolovski (left) as chairman in a discussion in which Tarja Cronberg participated in November 2023. The discussion was part of the Baltic Platform influence operation. Imemo Ran / Screenshot

Shelved in the fall

Not even the war of aggression started by Russia in Ukraine was an obstacle to Voitolovski’s membership. He remained on the board of the Peace Institute Sipri until September 2023, until the term was finally terminated after Voitolovski announced his open support for Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.

– They have told me that for political reasons I can no longer be a full member of the CPB board. So, as a representative of a Russian academic institution, I must be fired. So I’ve been fired, that’s all, Voitolovski says.

However, this did not end the connections between Voitolovski and Sipri.

Voitolovski was one of the key influencers behind the Baltic Platform influence operation.

On Monday, Iltalehti reported together with its international partners how the seminar organized in Kaliningrad in April was actually about securing Russia’s military interests in the Baltic Sea region.

Sipri researcher Tarja Cronberg traveled from Finland to Kaliningrad. The trip was approved by Sipri’s director Dan Smith and the costs were paid by Russia.

According to Voitolovski, he invited Cronberg. He tells about it to Expressen, which investigated the Baltic Platform operation with Iltalehti.

– We invited him because he is a very famous, world-renowned champion of peace, Voitolovski says.

The ambassador recommended

Cronberg’s and Voitolovski’s collaboration was also the Primakov Readings seminar organized in Moscow last November.

Cronberg told Iltalehti that Finland’s ambassador to Russia Antti Helanterä recommended him for that seminar. Helanterä confirmed the matter to Iltalehte and said that he himself participated as a listener in the Primakov Readings seminars last year and the year before.

– My role was to bring them together. I don’t think it’s recommended yet. They were looking for a researcher with a certain profile, and I was helpful to them, Helanterä commented on the matter on Tuesday to STT.

Foreign minister Elina Valtonen (kok) did not answer Iltalehti’s question on Tuesday whether recommending Finnish speakers or participating in events was in Finland’s interest.

In connection with the conference, Cronberg was quoted in the Russian media about the danger of nuclear war.

The Russian state news agency Tass quoted Cronberg as saying that the Nordic countries are increasing their defense spending and military exercises in the Baltic Sea region.

The message is fully in line with the design documents of the Baltic Platform. Cronberg’s proposed nuclear-weapon-free zone would require the disarmament of NATO in the Baltic Sea region.

Denies the influence operation

Voitolovski denies that the Baltic Platform project is an influence operation.

– We are interested in academic dialogue. And I think that in these times it is more than necessary to have such a dialogue and exchange views on international relations, the security situation, all issues, including culture, including some, including environmental issues, Voitolovski says.

He dismisses as “terribly funny” the international news that last year revealed the plans behind the Baltic Platform.

– It was one of the many examples of the prevailing absurdity. You know that in all international crises conspiracy theories flourish. It’s very easy to say that these academics, this university, this think tank is trying to organize some covert action, when in reality it’s an attempt to have an open academic dialogue, he said.

Voitolovski’s statements reflect the views of Markku Kangaspuro, director of the University of Helsinki’s Alexander Institute. He previously commented to Iltalehti that it was “useful and actually necessary to know and hear” the “different viewpoints” present in Russian research and university circles.

In Sweden, it’s crazy

In Sweden, the attitude towards Cronberg’s travels has been very different than in Finland.

The Swedish Parliament was founded by the Stockholm peace research institute Sipri in the 1960s at the initiative of the then prime minister, Tage Erlander. It receives a large part of its funding from the Swedish government.

The Swedish government demanded that Sipri’s leadership be held accountable for how the peace organization has become an intermediary for Russian propaganda.

– I consider this very problematic, commented Swedish Development Minister Johan Forssell to Iltalehti’s partner Expressen.

The appointment of Voitolovski to Sipri’s board also puts the Swedish government’s own activities in a strange light.

The article is based on information acquisition carried out as an international collaboration, in which, in addition to Iltalehti, Delfi (Estonia), LRT (Lithuania), Expressen (Sweden), Paper Trail Media (Germany) and The Insider participated.