Riitta Uosukainen

Riitta Maria Uosukainen (née Vainikka; 18 June 1942) is a Finnish politician and former Member of Parliament. She is one of the nine people to gain the highest honorary title, Counselor of State, given by the President, and is one of two currently alive alongside Matti Vanhanen.

Early life She was born on 18 June 1942 in Jääski, which was part of the Viipuri Province in Finland at the time of her birth, but is now known as Svetogorsk in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Uosukainen worked as editor of the Kustannus Oy Tammi publishing house 1965–1966, before beginning university studies. After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, she praised King Charles III while also commenting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She drew a comparison of Putin to Adolf Hitler, and stated that the situation felt good in Ukraine after the mobilization backlash and the success of the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive in September.