Moscow Armistice Explained

Moscow Armistice
Type:Bilateral treaty
Location Signed:Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR
Parties:
Ratifiers:

The Moscow Armistice[1] was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modifications.

The final peace treaty between Finland and many of the Allies was signed in Paris in 1947.

Conditions for peace

The conditions for peace were similar to what had been agreed in the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940: Finland was obliged to cede parts of Karelia and Salla, as well as certain islands in the Gulf of Finland. The new armistice also handed all of Petsamo to the Soviet Union, and Finland was further compelled to lease Porkkala to the Soviet Union for a period of fifty years (the area was returned to Finnish control in 1956).[2] Territories ceded to the Soviet Union constituted approximately 11.50% (44,106.23 km2) of Finland's territory (382,561.23 km2) prior to the Winter War and the Continuation War as dictated by the Treaty of Tartu.

Other conditions included Finnish payment of nearly $300,000,000 ($ in today's US dollars) in the form of various commodities over six years to the Soviet Union as war reparations.[3] Finland also agreed to legalise the Communist Party of Finland (after it had made some changes to the party rules) and ban parties that the Soviet Union considered fascist.[4] Further, the individuals that the Soviets considered responsible for the war had to be arrested and put on trial, the best-known case being that of Risto Ryti.[5] The armistice compelled Finland to drive German troops from its territory, leading to a military campaign in Lapland.

Surrendered territory

Municipality
of Finland
Russian Cyrillic name km2 Sq miles Part of present-day
populated place in Russia
Notes
Каменногорск 486.4 302.23 Kamennogorsk
Харлу 252.6 156.96
Хейнйоки 342.1 212.57 Veshchevo
Хийтола 464 288.32 Khiytola
Импилахти 904 561.72 Impilahti
Яккима 501.9 311.87 Yakkima
Советский 217.6 135.21 Sovetsky
Победа 246.3 153.04 Pobeda
Севастьяново 293.7 182.5 Sevastyanovo
Свободное 695.22 432 Svobodnoye
Первомайское 650.52 404.21 Pervomayskoye
Койвистон 283.1 175.91 Primorsk
Пионерское 400 248.55 Pionerskoye
Куркийоки 539.5 335.23
Какисалмен 188.54 117.15 Priozersk
Лумиваара 292.4 181.69 Lakhdenpokhsky District
Метсапиртти 186.9 116.13 Zaporozhskoye
Муолаа 750.02 466.04 Pravdino
Печенгский 10,470 6,505.76 Pechengsky District
Пюхаярви 522 324.35 Otradnoye
Рауту 339.6 211.02 Sosnovo
Рускеала 519 322.49 Ruskeala
Райсала 492.95 306.30 Melnikovo
Саккола 349.4 217.11 Gromovo
Салми 1,423 884.21 Salmi
Соанлахти 504 313.17 Suoyarvsky District
Сортавалан 690.88 429.3 Sortavala
Суистамо 1,623.80 1,009 Suoyarvsky District
Суоярви 3,688.40 2,292 Suoyarvsky District
Терийоки 122.42 76.07 Zelenogorsk
Уусикиркко 641.70 398.73 Polyany
Валкъярви 400 248.55 Michurinskoye
Выборг 613.93 381.48 Vyborg
Вуоксела 135 83.88 Vuoksela
Вуоксенранта 300.22 186.55 Ozyorskoye
Эуряпяя 205.7 127.82 Baryshevo

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://heninen.net/sopimus/1944_e.htm Armistice Agreement between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the one hand, and Finland on the other
  2. Web site: Return of Porkkala by Soviets 50 years ago had strings attached. Helsingin Sanomat. 25 January 2006.
  3. Web site: 2012-02-06 . HS Home 3.9.2002 – Last war reparation train crossed Finnish-Soviet border 50 years ago . 2022-09-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120206105055/https://www.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20020903IE11 . 2012-02-06 .
  4. Jukka Nevakivi (2006) Jatkosodasta nykypäivään. (From Continuation War to Today. In: Suomen poliittinen historia 1809–2006. WSOY, Helsinki
  5. Jakobson, Max (former Finnish Ambassador to the UN) Finnish wartime leaders on trial for "war guilt" 60 years ago Helsingin Sanomat International edition, 28 October 2005