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Moscow Armistice

1944 peace treaty between the USSR and Finland which ended the Continuation War

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The Moscow Armistice 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.

01Conditions 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). 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 ($5.5 billion in today's US dollars) in the form of various commodities over six years to the Soviet Union as war reparations. 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. 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. The armistice compelled Finland to drive German troops from its territory, leading to a military campaign in Lapland.

Finnish and Soviet officers gather for negotiations on September 5, 1944
Finnish and Soviet officers gather for negotiations on September 5, 1944

02Surrendered territory

Municipalities annexed by the Soviet Union
Municipality
of Finland
Russian Cyrillic namekm2Sq milesPart of present-day
populated place in Russia
Notes
AntreaКаменногорск486.4302.23Kamennogorsk
HarluХарлу252.6156.96Kharlu
HeinjokiХейнйоки342.1212.57Veshchevo
HiitolaХийтола464288.32Khiytola
ImpilahtiИмпилахти904561.72Impilahti
JaakkimaЯккима501.9311.87Yakkima
JohannesСоветский217.6135.21Sovetsky
KanneljärviПобеда246.3153.04Pobeda
KaukolaСевастьяново293.7182.5Sevastyanovo
KirvuСвободное695.22432Svobodnoye
KivennapaПервомайское650.52404.21Pervomayskoye
KoivistoКойвистон283.1175.91Primorsk
KuolemajärviПионерское400248.55Pionerskoye
KurkijokiКуркийоки539.5335.23Kurkiyoki
KäkisalmiКакисалмен188.54117.15Priozersk
LumivaaraЛумиваара292.4181.69Lakhdenpokhsky District
MetsäpirttiМетсапиртти186.9116.13Zaporozhskoye
MuolaaМуолаа750.02466.04Pravdino
PetsamoПеченгский10,4706,505.76Pechengsky District
PyhäjärviПюхаярви522324.35Otradnoye
RautuРауту339.6211.02Sosnovo
RuskealaРускеала519322.49Ruskeala
RäisäläРайсала492.95306.30Melnikovo
SakkolaСаккола349.4217.11Gromovo
SalmiСалми1,423884.21Salmi
SoanlahtiСоанлахти504313.17Suoyarvsky District
SortavalaСортавалан690.88429.3Sortavala
SuistamoСуистамо1,623.801,009Suoyarvsky District
SuojärviСуоярви3,688.402,292Suoyarvsky District
TerijokiТерийоки122.4276.07Zelenogorsk
UusikirkkoУусикиркко641.70398.73Polyany
ValkjärviВалкъярви400248.55Michurinskoye
ViipuriВыборг613.93381.48Vyborg
VuokselaВуоксела13583.88Vuoksela
VuoksenrantaВуоксенранта300.22186.55Ozyorskoye
ÄyräpääЭуряпяя205.7127.82Baryshevo
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Moscow Armistice, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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