It is true some Finns went in Soviet Union hoping for better life especially (1920-1930) After our civil war (1918) thousands of Finns Red Refugees escaped in Soviet Union. It's complicated because those times we were very poor nation trying to become sovereign, times were unstable and also violent.
They went there because they either had no clue or refused to admit that the proverb 'vaikka voissa pastais' is the truth.
"Even if its buttered"? What does it mean?
A russian is a russian, even if fried in butter. That is a finnish saying i have heard.
It's not about actual frying. In Finnish culture, frying in butter is an attempt to cook up something that is not necessarily tasty. In this context, it is all about hopeless effort.