London, April 2 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke like 19th century Czar Alexander I when Crimea was annexed to Russia last month, research says.

In 1809, when Finland became part of Russia after being under Swedish rule, Czar Alexander I described the event in very similar terms as President Vladimir Putin used in his speech March 18.

“Both rulers strove to reassure their audience of their goodwill towards the well-regarded people in the area and appealed to both history and divine right. Alexander cited Napoleon and Putin the United States as the arrogant enemy,” asserted Anneli Portman from University of Helsinki.

After Crimea, northern Europe may be the next focus of Moscow's seemingly renewed appetite for redrawing its borders, reports said.

Finland was part of the Russian empire for 108 years, from 1809 until Russia’s withdrawal from World War I in 1917.

According to Portman, the czars who ruled Finland emphasised benevolence, spirituality and conformity in their public speeches.

“The czars spoke of society as a web of personal relationships and emphasised values related to the in-group and its wellbeing. The in-group includes the family and anyone else who can be included in 'we',” Portman explained.

After Finland gained its independence, typical speech topics included education and rallying the national spirit.

The shifts in the values asserted in the speeches indicate that society had become more diverse, as expected. However, spirituality and spiritual values have not been eradicated.

The study used a total of 355 written speeches which were originally delivered to the nation between 1809 and 2000.