Red Army officers held in Köyliö camp, only general executed after return

A prisoner-of-war camp in Köyliö, Finland, housed primarily Soviet officers during the Continuation War, with around 4,000 prisoners passing through its gates. At its peak, the camp held over 1,000 inmates, most of them officers, according to Yle.

The camp’s cemetery, located near Köyliö prison, holds 122 Soviet soldiers who died mainly from disease and malnutrition during the winter of 1941–1942. Russian officials previously visited the site to lay flowers, but these visits stopped after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Among the prisoners was Major General Vladimir Kirpichnikov, commander of the Red Army’s 43rd Division, captured near Viipuri in September 1941. After interrogation in Mikkeli, he was transferred to Köyliö in December. Despite his status, he received special treatment, including a personal guard who took him fishing on Lake Köyliönjärvi.

After the war, Kirpichnikov was repatriated to the Soviet Union, where he was imprisoned and executed in 1950.

Prisoners were later offered work on local farms, improving their conditions and providing much-needed labor for the community. Some locals formed friendships with the prisoners, though others remained wary.