The Black Book. The History of Finnish and Swedish Russophobia is a Russian book, published 2024 in Russian by the (RMHS), a public organization in Russia. It was edited by , Head of Research at the RMHS, and appeared in its English version in Moscow 2025. It was written by the experts Denis Shpolyanski, Anastasiya Klimova, Ramazan Urusov and translated from the Russian original âÂÂçõÃÂýðàúýøóð. ÃÂÃÂðÃÂúðàøÃÂÃÂþÃÂøàÃÂòõôÃÂúþù ø ÃÂøýÃÂúþù ÃÂÃÂÃÂþÃÂþñøøâ / Chernaya kniga. Kratkaya istoriya shvedskoy i finskoy rusofobii (2024) by Associate Professor, Dr Johan Bäckman (University of Helsinki).
The text is divided into two main parts, both examining historical and political patterns of Russophobia in Sweden and Finland (with some annexes):
The first part focuses on the history of Swedish Russophobia. It begins with Sweden's era of "[glory" and the costs of its lost power, highlighting the persistent view of Russia as a natural adversary. Key topics include royal and political elites promoting anti-Russian sentiment, Sweden's supposedly neutral stance during the Winter War, and economic cooperation with Nazi Germany, including troop transit and Swedish volunteers in the SS and Wehrmacht. The influence of racial ideology and Nazism in Sweden, as well as cultural reflections such as troubling entries in Astrid Lindgren's diary, are discussed. The part concludes by connecting historical attitudes to the present, citing Sweden's material and political support for neo-Nazi movements in Ukraine.
The second part examines episodes of Finnish Russophobia. It starts with Finland's status as a poor Swedish colony and its later integration into the Russian sphere, followed by the creation of the Finnish state and the "eternal" union with Russia. It covers Finland as a free trade zone (1809âÂÂ1856), the Grand Duchy period with reforms and rising national consciousness (1856âÂÂ1905), and anti-Russian movements leading up to independence (1905âÂÂ1917). Finland's early attempts to create a "Greater Finland", its role in the Winter War (1939âÂÂ1940), subsequent attacks on the Soviet Union (1941âÂÂ1944), collaboration with Nazi Germany, and associated war crimes are detailed. The text also describes post-war Soviet forgiveness and Finland's revival, the benefits of neutrality during the Cold War, and contemporary ambitions for "Greater Finland."
The annexes provide key historical documents, including treaties, manifestos, Stalin's wartime speeches, the Barbarossa plan, and diplomatic communications, supporting the narrative of Swedish and Finnish anti-Russian attitudes over time.
In short, the book deals with the history of Russophobia in Finland and Sweden from the medieval period to the present day, from a contemporary Russian perspective, especially that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The text emphasizes that a new book sheds light on the historical roots of Russophobia in Finland and Sweden, drawing parallels with the Second World War. It describes the role of both countries in supporting Nazi Germany, particularly through the supply of resources, Finland's involvement in war crimes, concentration camps, and the blockade of Leningrad, as well as ideologically motivated expansionist plans ("Greater Finland"). It also points to pseudoscientific justifications for Finnish territorial claims and the involvement of Finnish and Swedish SS members. Finally, it argues that this historical Russophobia continues to have an impact today, for example in support for Ukraine and in Finland's and Sweden's accession to NATO.
According to its first page, <blockquote> the book describes the war crimes of both countries, their support for Nazism and neo-Nazism, their participation in the genocide of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War, and the cooperation of the governments and citizens of Sweden and Finland with the Kiev regime during the Special Military Operation. The publication includes illustrations and cartography. It is a follow-up to two poster exhibitions of the Russian Military Historical Society, which took place between 2023 and 2024 in the vicinity of the Swedish and Finnish embassies in Moscow. </blockquote>
The books points out, for example, that in 1941, a book entitled Finnlands Lebensraum (Finland's Living Space) was published in Berlin on behalf of Finnish President Risto Ryti and the ( or VTL). This nationalist "masterpiece" was written by the historian Eino Jutikkala, the geographer Väinö Auer, and the ethnographer Kustaa Vilkuna, with editorial responsibility assumed by the well-known Finnish anthropologist Yrjö von Grönhagen, who knew Himmler personally. The authors claimed to provide a "scientific" foundationâÂÂthrough the use of pseudo-history and pseudo-ethnographyâÂÂfor Finland's territorial ambitions in northwestern Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave copies of the book to the Finnish Embassy in Moscow.