To be more exact , defacto it was not part of Russia , rather it was in a personal union with Russia , that is , the title of Grand Duke of Finland was held by the Emperor of Russia , who appointed a viceroy to govern it . However , Finland had separate laws and institutions , including a parliament , which in Russia didn ' t even exist until 1905 , a separate currency , taxes and customs system , a separate police , and , between 1878 and 1901 , even its own defence force of 5600 men . This is similar to the position that Norway held within its successive unions with Denmark and Sweden , with the important distinction that dejure Finland , unlike Norway , never was a sovereign realm . Before falling into Russian hands , it was a province of Sweden within Russia , its legal status was ambiguous and subject to debate .