Finland’s diplomat in Moscow on the eve of war
On the evening of 26 November 1939, he received Molotov’s protest over Mainila and immediately sought the facts from Helsinki.
Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen was a Finnish jurist and diplomat who shaped the foreign ministry’s political work and external negotiations. As envoy in Moscow, he stood at the front line of diplomacy in November 1939, receiving Molotov’s protest over the Mainila shelling and delivering Finland’s replies before the Winter War. He also helped conclude Finland’s non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, yet the effort to contain the security conflict through negotiation did not prevent war.
Career Timeline
- 1908Philosophy degree
- 1913Law degree
- 1920Legation secretary in Paris
- 1924Chief of the Political Division
- 1931Foreign Minister; envoy in Moscow
- 1932Signed the Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact
- 1939Handled the diplomatic exchanges over Mainila
- 1940Head of the Finnish mission in Ankara