Belarus Shuts Down Its Embassy in Finland

Belarus is set to close its embassy in Helsinki, ending the country’s official diplomatic presence in Finland from September 1, 2026.

The decision was approved by the Belarusian government and means that the Belarusian Embassy in Helsinki will no longer operate as a full diplomatic mission. The embassy was opened in 2011 and has represented Belarus in Finland for more than a decade.

The diplomatic mission has already been operating with a reduced presence. Belarus has not had an ambassador in Finland since 2024, and relations between Minsk and several European countries have become increasingly limited in recent years.

The closure will also affect Belarusian citizens living in Finland who rely on the embassy for consular services, including passports, official documents and other assistance. Following the closure, they will need to use Belarusian diplomatic missions in other countries for certain consular matters.

The move comes amid a broader reduction of Belarusian diplomatic missions in parts of Europe. Finland, like several other European countries, has maintained a more limited diplomatic relationship with Belarus in recent years.

The closure of the Helsinki embassy marks another significant change in diplomatic relations between Belarus and Finland and reduces Belarus’s official diplomatic footprint in the Nordic region.