According to Markku Mantila, then-Head of the Finnish government’s communications department, in mid-2016 the Russian government led a targeted disinformation campaign at the Finnish public. Mantila stated that false news stories, misleading statements, and pro-Russian online activity took aim at Finnish independence and sought to warn the country against joining NATO. Some of the narratives questioned the historical legitimacy of Finland’s independence from the Soviet Union and represented Finnish independence leaders as Nazi collaborators.