Erkki Johan Bäckman (born 18 May 1971) is a Finnish and Russian political activist, propagandist, author, eurosceptic, and convicted stalker working for the Russian government. Bäckman has been a prominent Finnish propagandist in Russia who has actively participated in long-standing operations to propagate anti-Finnish and anti-Western Russian propaganda.
Bäckman has contentious views about Estonia, Latvia and Ukraine, and has been declared persona non grata and denied entry into Estonia, and has been expelled from Moldova. His books have been the subject of debate about Finnish-Soviet relations during the Cold War, the war history of Finland and the Soviet Union, organized crime in Estonia and the Russian Mafia, terrorism, and the history of Estonia. As a proclaimed spokesman for the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee, he is against the integration policies of Estonia and Latvia, claiming they are "apartheid polities". On the whole, he does not recognize Estonia and Latvia as states.
Bäckman has supported Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine he has given statements to Russian media about the anti-Russian sentiment of the European Union and Britain. Bäckman has also claimed that Ukraine as a nation does not exist. Bäckman is also a member of the pro-Russian Power Belongs To The People party.
Russia
Bäckman has been a notable Finnish propagandist in Russia who has actively been involved in long-term operations to propagate anti-Finnish and anti-Western propaganda in Russia. His activity was tracked and reported by Helsingin Sanomat as part of an international investigative journalism collaboration project. The project was coordinated by OCCRP, a network of journalists specializing in crime and corruption, and The Intercept organization.
As revealed by the project, Bäckman has for years provided the Russian state radio and television company VGTRK with news material defaming Finland and other Western countries. VGTRK is the Kremlin's most important propaganda and disinformation disseminator which controls all of Russia's largest radio and television channels. Former Finnish Ambassador to Russia Hannu Himanen believes that Bäckman works as part of a global propaganda and disinformation network built by Russia.
Bäckman has frequently travelled to Russia since 1993, and is fluent in Russian. In 2000, he established a publishing institution named the Johan Beckman Institute in Saint Petersburg.Publication index of Johan Beckman Institute http://www.ruslania.com/language-4/entity-1/context-289/publisher-1039.html
Bäckman serves Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) as representative in Northern Europe. RISS is a Russian state funded research group led by a former Soviet intelligence officer.
On 21 October 2024 Bäckman got Russian citizenship.
Opinion of Vladimir Putin
In his 2007 book Finland Washed with Anna Politkovskaya's Blood (, Literally: Satan Arrives in Helsinki, which alludes to Saatana saapuu Moskovaan, the Finnish language title for The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov) he supported the conspiracy theory that Anna Politkovskaya assassination was organized as an attempt to smear the Russian president Vladimir Putin. Bäckman has hinted that Politkovskaya was depressed and ordered her own murder. According to Bäckman, Politkovskaya, a Russian writer and human rights activist, was an American agent. He also criticizes Finns' reaction to the murder. Bäckman accused Finnish Green League politician Heidi Hautala and the Finnish media of inciting hatred towards Russia and Vladimir Putin. Hautala, depicted on the book cover, saw this as a smear campaign, but refused to take legal action, preferring to allow the book to speak for itself.Helsingin Sanomat: Book accuses media and Green MP of inciting anti-Russian sentiment (1 March 2007). Hs.fi. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
Bäckman admires Vladimir Putin, crediting all recent successes of Russia to Putin's personality and health.АПН Северо-Запад / Я - не агент ФСБ!. Apn-spb.ru. Retrieved 26 July 2012.АПН Северо-Запад / Путин - как натянутый лук - пускает стрелу Амура прямо в сердце Европы. Apn-spb.ru. Retrieved 26 July 2012. He has compared Putin to Cold War-era Finnish president Urho Kekkonen, and claimed he wishes Putin would likewise rule Russia for 26 years. He stated that Finland also needs organizations such as the pro-Kremlin Nashi and Walking Together. According to Bäckman, the freedom of the press in Russia is considerably higher than in Finland, and Estonia is not free at all.
In Russian media
In a 2013 interview, the Finnish Academy chairman Arto Mustajoki said that Bäckman is five times more visible in the Russian media than then-Finnish Premier Jyrki Katainen or then-President Tarja Halonen. According to Mustajoki, Russians treat Bäckman as a "hero" because he defends Russian minorities in the Baltic States.Yliopisto No. 1/2013, p. 42
Estonia
Bäckman's work has been published in Finland and Estonia. Many of his published opinions are provocative and some have been regarded as pro-Putin and anti-Estonian by commentators in the Estonian press.Eesti Ekspress 23 February 2009 12:43: Räige Eesti-vastane kampaania käib kolmes riigis korraga , edited by Askur Alas Bäckman has stated that Estonia "does not exist" as a sovereign state.ves.lv 6 March 2009 13:02: "Эстония? Нет такого государства!", interview by Yelena Slyusareva
According to Bäckman, the Estonians and Finns are actually one nation and the Republic of Estonia should be united with Finland where it could still have an autonomy.
The Bronze Soldier book
In his highly controversial book about the Estonian Bronze Soldier Pronssisoturi: Viron patsaskiistan tausta ja sisältö, published in Finnish in 2008, Bäckman disagrees with the integration policies of Estonia. In his opinion, Estonian integration policies that have seen some 147,000 Russian speakers receiving Estonian citizenship in the past decade are "apartheid" and represent a "criminal discrimination of Russians". In the Bronze Soldier he dismissed the Soviet occupation of Estonia as a "Nazi myth".Helsingin yliopisto ei puutu Bäckmanin puheisiin - HS.fi - Kulttuuri. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Bäckman has gained publicity in Estonia for denying the Soviet occupation during 1940-1941 and 1944-1991: "In my opinion speaking or writing of Soviet 'occupation' should be criminalised as a form of racist propaganda."
In connection to the publication of the book in September 2008, Bäckman gave several interviews, including one in which he claimed Estonia will join Russia within a decade.Десять лет, которые потрясут Эстонию Den za Dnyom Bäckman: Eesti on teel otse põrgusse Eesti Päevaleht 11 August 2008 Finnish writer: Estonia to lose independence in 10 years Baltic Business News 11 August 2008Эстония прямиком движется в ад Molodezh Estonii 15 August 2008 Bäckman also claimed that the "destruction" of the Bronze Soldier grave site and monument in April 2007 by the Estonian government was "the end of history of Estonia". He speculated that most of the Russian youth all over Russia, including children, hate Estonia and deny her the right to exist. Bäckman went on to predict that in ten years at most, the Nashi would come to power in Russia, leading to an end of the Estonian statehood shortly afterwards.
After the publication of the book, Finnish and Estonian cultural figures, scholars, journalists and politicians, including Henrik Lax, Lasse Lehtinen and Sofi Oksanen, addressed the University of Helsinki in an open letter of protest, partly in relation to Bäckman teaching a course on "specialities of Estonian legal policy" in the Spring 2009 semester.Avoin kirje vaatii Bäckmanin opetuksen tutkintaa Helsingin yliopistossa - HS.fi - Kulttuuri. HS.fi. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Bäckman immediately threatened to sue the letter's authors for libel and later filed a criminal complaint, but the Helsinki Police refused to open investigation. Poliisi tyrmäsi dosentin epäilyt. Uusisuomi.fi (4 November 2008). Retrieved 26 July 2012. The former minister of foreign affairs of Finland Dr. Erkki Tuomioja called Bäckman's book as "deliberate provocation", but condemned the open letter for violating the principles of freedom of speech. The University of Helsinki distanced itself in a statement holding that Bäckman's political views are his own and do not represent the University's.Helsingi ülikool distantseerus Bäckmani seisukohtadest Postimees 27 March 2008
Estonian Internal Security Service and Bäckman
The Estonian Internal Security Service (Kaitsepolitseiamet) official Andres Kahar said in the Estonian press that Bäckman is "a Russian propagandist" spreading disinformation similar to claims made in Moscow.
In March 2009, the newspaper Eesti Ekspress reported a link between Bäckman and the Finnish neo-nazi Risto Teinonen, alleging both of them are connected to the reputed former KGB agent Vladimir Ilyashevich residing in Estonia, all of whom are linked to the Russian historian Alexander Dyukov. In the assessment by Kaitsepolitseiamet, Bäckman, Teinonen and Ilyashevich are working as a team with support from Moscow, attempting to undermine the names of many good people, the relations between Finland and Estonia, and the Republic of Estonia itself.
Finnish counter-intelligence has not commented on Bäckman publicly. Regarding Nashi demonstrations organised by Bäckman in Helsinki in March 2009, the Finnish security police spokesman replied they heard "rumours" about the demonstrations but would not comment on issues regarding free democratic activism.
Persona non-grata status in Estonia
On 26 April 2009, Bäckman was detained after his disembarkation from a ferry in the Tallinn Passenger Port and expelled from the country under an entry prohibition. The Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that Johan Bäckman has been declared persona non-grata in Estonia. Among reasons for expulsion, the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs listed the first of all twelve statements by Bäckman in the Estonian press and in his blog, claiming Estonia is an "apartheid" regime that "falsifies" history. Helsingin Sanomat pointed out such prohibition against entry into Estonia by Finnish citizens is extremely rare. Previously such entry bans have been issued to some Finns suspected of connections with racist movements. In December 2010, Tallinn regional court declared entry prohibitions against Bäckman illegal and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to compensate his legal fees in sum of 16,600 Estonian kroons.Johan Bäckman seljatas kohtus Eesti riigi | ERR Uudised . Uudised.err.ee (17 December 2010). Retrieved 26 July 2012.
On 29 July 2011, Bäckman was again denied entry into Estonia and sent back to Finland.
Finland
Bäckman has been a commentator of Finnish-Russian child custody and "grandmother cases" in Russian media. He has claimed that Finnish authorities persecute Russian mothers and take custody of their children without a reason. The Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, quoting Timo Vihavainen, a professor of Russian history, speculated that this has happened due to fact that Bäckman's opinions match the interests of the Kremlin.
Bäckman was a commentator for the Russian press during the Anton incident in 2009.Iltasanomat: Antonin äiti: Tuomio on epäoikeudenmukainen - katso video (in Finnish) Later, Bäckman apologized for his behaviour, and promised not to further intervene in the incident.Johan Bäckman: Johan Bäckmanin julkinen anteeksipyyntö Paavo Saloselle (in Finnish) However, he later deleted his apology, continuing to comment on the case. He was also an active commentator for Russian press during the Rantala incident in 2010. Bäckman also received media time with grandmother and similar child custody cases in 2010.