Just like Ukraine, Finland is a product of Soviet takeover of Russian Empire. I don’t think if Finland was ever independent as a nation-state before 1918. AFAIK, this territory was annexed by the Russians from Sweden some 200 years ago and locals has actually supported Russian takeover at the time (Swedes has taxed them too heavily).
On the other hand, Finns used last century to build their identity well.
It is one perfect example of self-determination which really worked into a successful nation.
The Swedish Kingdom administered Finland as a Grand Duchy fully integrated into the kingdom. Due to the frequent wars with Russia that used the Grand Duchy of Finland as the frontier battleground for the wars, the nobility and others in Finland sought Russian assistance to gain autonomy from Sweden to end the fighting in the Finnish grand duchy. When the Russian Empire finally did succeed in defeating Sweden, the Grand Duch of Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire. Although the Finns did not have a status as an independent nation state like today, it did have its own legislative body and a measure of autonomy comparable to that of many duchies and principalities found in the contemporaneous Holy Roman Empire.
Attempts by the Russian Empire to impose russification of language, culture, and government upon the heretofore autonomous Finnish nobility and peasantry of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1899 to full independence in 1919.
Finland has been around as an autonomous culture for more centuries than many other nationa states around today, and they have been subjected to Russian invasions and attempts to Russify their culture for centuries as well.