special services." Presented statements led prosecutors to formally charge Bäckman for harassment and aggravated defamation of Aro. In October 2018, Bäckman received a 12-month suspended jail sentence for aggravated defamation and stalking. Bäckman said he would appeal the verdict. In February 2022, the Supreme Court of Finland upheld the verdict that Bäckman was guilty of stalking of Jessikka Aro, while the defamation charge was dropped. Bäckman was given a 60-day suspended prison sentence, and he was ordered to pay Aro a compensation of 9,000 euros and an additional 9,200 euros for her loss of earnings. Ukraine Bäckman has voiced support for Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian War. In March 2014, Bäckman was invited to participate as an observer by the Eurasian Observatory for Democracy & Elections (EODE), a far-right Russia-based self-proclaimed election monitoring organization, in the disputed Crimean status referendum, which resulted in the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Bäckman stated that he saw no violations and considered the referendum to be within the framework of international law. He alleges to represent the separatist Donetsk People's Republic in Finland, and in May he announced that they will open a representative office in Helsinki. Bäckman claimed the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shootdown was a United States provocation to justify a NATO intervention in Donbass conflict, and describes the Ukrainian government as "the Kiev junta". During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine he has given statements to Russian media outlets about the anti-Russian sentiment of the European Union and Britain, and claimed that Ukraine as a nation does not exist. Moldova In May 2014, Bäckman was expelled from Moldova and received a five-year entry ban, as his activities were regarded as undermining Moldova's statehood. Politics Bäckman regards the Taistoists movement of the 1970s, the hardline pro-Soviet faction in the Communist Party of Finland, as "the best thing that happened in the history of Finland". He has said: "We can thank the Taistoists for high-quality science, art and culture we enjoy today". Bäckman was an independent candidate for European Parliament election in 2009 on the Workers Party of Finland list. He gained 554 votes, insufficient to gain a seat. In March 2011, Bäckman announced he was a candidate for the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election on the Workers Party of Finland list. He gained 36 votes. In October 2012, he was a candidate in municipal elections in Espoo, gaining 43 votes. Academic career He received