The controversial World Peace statue has been found sitting outside in an industrial yard in Sipoo. A reader tipped Yle off that the statue was lodged in the corner of a storage complex on Hiekkamäentie.
This month Helsinki Art Museum (HAM), the owner of the statue, said it was moving the Soviet-donated piece from Hakaniemi into storage in eastern Uusimaa to make way for Helsinki's Crown Bridges construction project.
HAM did not respond to Yle's request for an interview on Saturday. The museum and the City of Helsinki previously said they would decide on the final fate of the statue at a later date.
In March the city said it planned to return the statue to Hakaniemenranta after the completion of the Crown Bridges. This, however, no longer seems certain as a hotel is now planned for the site.
The City of Moscow donated the statue to Helsinki in 1989. It was unveiled to the public in 1990. Even then, the statue was the subject of much debate.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, public debate over the statue heated up again.
History of controversy
Since the statue was revealed to the public in 1990, it has attracted controversy.
The statue was severely damaged when three students poured tar and feathers on it in 1991. Calling themselves "Höyhenryhmä" ("The Feather Group"), the trio wanted to make a statement that the Soviet gift did not belong in Helsinki.
The group included Mikael Jungner, a law student who later became the managing director of the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation Yle and an MP.
In 2010, there was an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the statue with a gas cylinder.
