Suursaari’s wartime history ended with its transfer to the Soviet Union

Ukraine said it struck a Russian warship near Suursaari, an island in the Gulf of Finland, overnight into Wednesday, about 40 kilometres south of Kotka. The island has a long history of conflict and was ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union in 1947, Yle reports.

Suursaari lies at the widest part of the Gulf of Finland. It is about 11 kilometres long and between one and three kilometres wide. The island is now used by the Russian military, with a radar station for air surveillance and a helicopter landing field.

From Sweden to Finland

Permanent settlement on Suursaari dates back at least to the 15th century, according to the earliest sources cited by Yle. Two fishing villages, Suurkylä and Kiiskinkylä, stood on the island.

The island belonged to the Swedish kingdom for several centuries before the Russian Empire took it during the Great Northern War. Under the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, it became part of the Russian Empire. When Finland passed from Swedish to Russian rule in 1809, Suursaari was incorporated into Vyborg province.

Suursaari became part of independent Finland in 1917. Before the Winter War, it was a municipality with about 900 residents. At the time of the island’s evacuation, its population was 772. Tourism was an important source of income, alongside fishing, seal hunting and small-scale farming.

Fighting for the island

The Soviet Union captured Suursaari at the start of the Winter War. After the Continuation War began, Soviet forces initially withdrew, but retook the island in January 1942. Finnish forces attacked two months later and captured it after heavy fighting.

German forces tried to take the island from the Finns in September 1944, but the attempt failed. Finland ultimately ceded Suursaari to the Soviet Union under the 1947 Paris peace treaty. It was the largest of the outer islands ceded by Finland.

Restricted access

Suursaari is now part of the Kingisepp district in Russia’s Leningrad region. It has been within a border zone since the end of the Second World War, and foreigners are prohibited from entering without special permission from Russian authorities.

Tags: Suursaari, Finland, history