The leadership of Finland’s Left Alliance party in the Pirkanmaa region has withdrawn the candidacy of independent candidate Hannu Tiainen for the upcoming spring municipal and regional elections, Yle reports. The decision came after Tiainen’s comments in a 29 December article in the newspaper Aamulehti, where he referred to Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine as a “special military operation.”

Russia calls its military aggression against Ukraine a “special military operation” to frame its actions as limited, controlled, and justified. The term downplays the scale and brutality of the invasion. By avoiding the word “war,” Russia tries to distance its citizens from the full reality of the conflict. Most of the world, especially Western nations, calls the Russian military aggression a war because it involves large-scale military actions, widespread destruction, and a significant loss of civilian and military lives.

Party leaders said that Tiainen’s remarks contradict the party’s values, prompting the decision to revoke his candidacy.

“There is a significant conflict between the values upheld by the Left Alliance and the opinions expressed by the candidate,” said Hanna Jukantupa, chair of the party’s Pirkanmaa region.

Tiainen expressed surprise at the decision, explaining that he used the term “special military operation” because major powers often describe attacks in such terms.

“Russia called it a special operation. But, of course, when it has lasted for two years, it is a war,” he acknowledged.

In December, Finland’s Social Democratic Party similarly removed a municipal election candidate for refusing to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine.

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