The war between Russia and Finland already exists, but it is between wolves and reindeer

On paper it is a long and guarded border, but in the woods it is a line that for wolves e bears it simply doesn’t exist. Along the beyond 1,300 kilometers of border between Finland and RussiaThe reindeer herders they tell a record increase in predation and indicate a specific suspicion: i Russian wolves pushed to trespass because, on the other side, i hunters were recalled to the front in Ukraine, reducing the hunting pressure and letting the herds grow. The hypothesis, reports the Guardian, is difficult to prove with certainty, but it is becoming a concrete topic for those who live by farm in border areas.

Who liberates them chute in the grazing territories close to a few tens of kilometers from Russia we end up coming across it more and more often carcass which bear the typical signs of attack by the wolvesat the throat and paws, and footprints in the snow coming from the Russian side. The alarming data is the official one Finnish Reindeer Herders Association: in 2025 those from the wolves were 2.124a record. And those who work in the area maintain that the carcasses found are only a part of the total, because many disappear into the depths of the forests.

The scientific perspective and wolf hunting in Finland

The Finnish scientistshowever, urge caution: it is “probable” that they arrive from Russia, but this cannot be definitively certified. The Finnish internal context adds another piece: according to estimates, in March 2025 the wolf population in Finland it was in the order of 413-465 specimens, with a more probable estimate around 430, an increase compared to the previous year and from 1 January 2026 Helsinki reopened at wolf huntintroducing a quota system after decades of very rigid protection. A choice also motivated by pressures from rural areas and give it impacts on livestock. For the breedersthe reasoning is simpler than any genetic analysis: the chute they spend months outdoors over large areas and cannot be monitored continuously. The point, they say, is not to eliminate wolves, but to find a balance that allows us to continueeconomic and cultural activity rooted for centuries.