In Finland, people may regret that Ukrainian President Zelensky has been given a parking ticket. But the ticket is completely legal, even though it has now been canceled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not above the law, not even the law in Finland, which the president recently visited.
In Helsinki, the president was given a parking ticket when a driver in the president's convoy parked in front of a university in the city.
The local authorities have since apologized for the fine, even though the parking attendant was actually just following the rules and doing his job.
During Zelensky's visit to the University of Helsinki, the Ukrainian convoy parked on Universitetsgatan. And you're not allowed to do that, even if you're president.
A parking attendant recorded the violation and issued a ticket to a BMW limousine in the convoy, diplomatic license plate or not.
When the Finnish media Helsingin Sanomat wrote about the parking booth, the story quickly spread on social media, especially on the Finnish part of X – the former Twitter.
The parking company that employs the parking attendant subsequently had to apologize that he had done his job properly. However, they emphasize that there is nothing wrong with the booth as such.
Pauliina Sundqvist from the City of Helsinki's Damage and Payment Sanctions Unit tells the Iltalehti media outlet that perhaps not enough consideration had been given to the situation.
"We are very sorry if this has caused feelings among Zelensky's followers," she says.
The car that received the fine belongs to the Ukrainian embassy and has diplomatic license plates. And although diplomats are normally exempt from punishment, they still tighten the screws a bit in Finland.
Representatives of foreign powers cannot avoid parking stalls or fees. Here at home, diplomats have also come into conflict with the traffic law. Read more about it here .
Back in Finland, however, no one really does anything if, for example, a parking ticket is not paid.
The Ukrainian embassy has reportedly not asked for the fine to be cancelled. The Finnish police have allegedly taken care of that.
