On October 6th, 2025, residents of Haikola, a historic Karelian village in the Kalevala district of Karelia, woke up to discover that the entrance zone of their community’s heritage trail, “The Trail of the Ancestors”, had been torn down and destroyed. The wooden structures, handcrafted by local artisans using traditional Karelian woodworking techniques and designs, were reduced to fragments. The informational stands welcoming visitors to the island were ripped from their foundations. Still to this day, the perpetrators of this act of vandalism have not been identified or brought to justice.
Destroyed informational stands in Haikola after the vandalism act
Haikola is not just another rural settlement. It is one of Karelia’s oldest local communities, a village that dates back to at least the 17th century and is regarded as one of the most authentic surviving Karelian settlements. Despite the hardships of time, it has managed to preserve traditional architecture and cultural features that represent the earliest forms of Karelian rural life. For Karelians, Haikola is more than a village; it is a living connection to their roots, a place where history, language, and identity converge.
The importance of Haikola is even recognized officially. It is listed in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects of the Russian Federation. In principle, this status should guarantee protection and a rapid response in the event of damage. In reality, however no investigation, arrests, or even official statements have followed. Weeks later, the incident remains absent from the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ public records.
The peculiarity of the situation lies not only in the inaction of the authorities toward the Haikola vandalism, but in the sharp contrast with how other acts of vandalism are handled when they concern what is defined as “Russian cultural heritage”. When monuments or exhibitions linked to Russian history and culture fall victim to vandalism, authorities act swiftly: investigations are opened, criminal cases initiated, and public updates issued. A notable example is the destruction of a wartime exhibition in Olonets in July 2025, which prompted the Investigative Committee to launch a probe within days. Yet the Haikola incident was quickly overlooked and overshadowed.
If viewed in isolation, what happened in Haikola might seem like an unfortunate case of bureaucratic neglect. But in the broader context of how Karelian culture is treated, it is difficult not to recognize a pattern – one of disregard and marginalization. Across Karelia, traditional Finnic settlements are left to decay, significant cultural monuments such as the Jaakima church are allowed to crumble, and important historical sites like Paasonvuori are treated merely as tourist attractions. It often appears only when Karelian civic activists take matters into their own hands do the authorities move to restore or preserve cultural landmarks.
Neglected tranditional Finnish house in Karelia
As per our official report, according to international law, all cultural heritage, regardless of ethnicity or origin, deserves equal protection. The Russian Federation, as a part to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, is obliged under Article 15 to safeguard the cultural identity of its indigenous peoples, whether classified as small-numbered indigenous groups or titular nations. Yet in practice, these obligations often remained unfulfilled.
The Haikola incident illustrates what happens when these responsibilities are neglected. Without investigation or restoration, the message sent to local communities is one of disregard. Each unaddressed act of vandalism erodes not only physical heritage but also the trust and dignity of the people whose identity depends on it.