Key findings

This study was based on a mixed‑methods approach, combining quantitative network analysis and qualitative interviews, enabling insights and findings to be triangulated across diverse datasets. It was guided by four research questions:

1. What kinds of Russian-language media exist in Finland?
2. Which social media platforms are most commonly used by Russian-language media in Finland?
3. How active is Russian-language media in Finland?
4. How well connected are Russian-language media actors on key social media platforms?

The key findings in this report are summarised under three main themes explored in the study: a) characteristics of Russian‑language media; b) activity of Russian-language media; and c) Russian-language media networks on social media.

1. Characteristics of Russian‑language media

To understand the Russian‑language media landscape in Finland, the study examined the characteristics of the selected social media accounts that are summarized below.

The number of accounts

The Russian‑language media landscape in Finland is small. Our manually collected database comprises 113 Russian-language media actors that met our selection criteria: they had at least one publicly available account on social media; Russian was their main or secondary language; they were based in Finland or clearly targeted Finnish Russian speakers; they had at least one active account on social media at the time of the research; and they had posted at least once in the preceding two months on topics extending beyond the interests of the group or individual managing the account.

The most popular platforms

Two‑thirds of Russian-language social media accounts are present on only one platform. Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram are the most popular platforms among Russian-language media actors in Finland. 91% of media actors have a presence on at least one of these platforms, and around 40% of the 113 media actors in our study have a profile on all three.

The type of accounts

The majority of Russian‑language media have either individual or group accounts on social media. The third most common type of account is community accounts, which are similar to group accounts but with clear community ownership. The remaining types – NGO, business and media – number fewer than 10 each. Only one Russian-language media actor is state-managed.

The size of the follower base

Russian‑language media accounts have a small number of followers. Half of their accounts on social media have fewer than 1500 followers. The largest accounts are those of state, media or business organisations that have institutional support. Accounts with the largest follower bases are found on YouTube and Facebook.

Topics covered in the posts

Life in Finland and culture are the dominant topics on Russian‑language media. Most of the media actors focus on posts related to everyday life in Finland, providing advice, information about events and news, and language learning resources. Only about 10% of media actors focus on news and politics.

The target area of the accounts

The majority of Russian‑language media target entire Finland. Around 10% of media actors are regionally focused. The distribution of different account types and topics is similar across Finland, except for business accounts, which are clearly concentrated in the metropolitan area.

2. Activity of Russian‑language media

The study explored the activity of Russian‑language media in Finland, focusing on how often they post on their social media accounts, how many days they are active per year and how actively their audience is engaged.

Active days during the researched period

On average, Russian‑language media in Finland are active on social media for one-third of the year. However, activity levels are highly variable: only a few media actors are very active, while many others are inactive. Media and state media actors show the highest activity, posting almost daily.

Posting frequency per active day

On an active day, Russian‑language media in Finland publishes around 2 posts. Media actors that were active for more days during the research period tended to post more frequently on an active day. Groups and media outlets post the most frequently, while state and community actors post the least. Media actors focusing on news and life in Finland show the highest posting frequency.

Engagement from the audience

Accounts with a greater number of posts tend to have more followers and receive more likes, shares and comments. However, on average, they do not receive more engagement per post or have a more active follower base. Social media accounts of individual and NGO actors with fewer followers tend to have a more active follower base and receive more engagement per post. Instagram accounts have the highest engagement per post.

3. Russian‑language media networks on social media

The study examined the connections between Russian‑language media actors on social media in Finland. It analysed the networks of their accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram. We recorded a connection if accounts followed, mentioned or shared content from one another.

Network characteristics

Social media accounts of the Russian‑language media actors are not densely interconnected. Instead, they form small, fragmented, unreciprocal and unstable networks. Many accounts are isolated from other accounts in our database, or are connected through a single link. Whereas most institutional media actors are passive recipients of connections, individual or group media actors actively seek them by following, resharing or mentioning other social media accounts.

Networks across the Instagram, Facebook and Telegram platforms

Russian‑language media are not equally connected across platforms. Media actors who are well connected on one platform can have the least connected or isolated social media accounts on another platform. The Instagram network is the most dense and close-knit, while Telegram is the most fragmented, with the fewest reciprocal ties. Facebook falls in between these extremes. On Instagram, core accounts are more evenly distributed, whereas on Facebook and Telegram, ego accounts occupy more central positions in their networks, which makes the network less stable and more dependent on the central nodes.