A Finn who has lived elsewhere for >10 years here. The economic issues are both structural and a consequence of a number of crises. Baby boomers didn't have en

A Finn who has lived elsewhere for >10 years here. The economic issues are both structural and a consequence of a number of crises. Baby boomers didn't have enough kids, and it was already obvious decades ago that there would be economic trouble after they retire. The large-scale immigration everyone saw as the answer is now happening. A lot depends on how well the immigrants integrate into the society. While Finland used to be known as a highly educated country, other developed countries went past it. Millennials and younger never reached the educational attainment of generation X. As a consequence, Finnish workforce is not as productive as it could be. Finnish economy relies too much on manufacturing and too little on services, making it less competitive than, for example, Sweden. That became an issue after the windfall from Nokia disappeared. Saint Petersburg is the only major city in the world from which Finland does not look like a peripheral area. When the relations with Russia are bad, the economy suffers. Putin has been gradually going from bad to worse for 20+ years, and there are no changes in sight. Putin is a known quantity, and I'm not too worried of what he will do next after Ukraine. What happens after he dies is another story, especially if there is no clear successor. The Soviet coup attempt of 1991 was scarier than anything Putin has done, and what happens after Putin could be worse.