The remains of 26 unidentified Finnish soldiers, who were killed during the Winter War (1939-1940) and the Continuation War (1941-1944) were buried in Lappeenranta in a military funeral on Sunday, the Commemoration Day of Fallen Soldiers.
The City of Lappeenranta, in cooperation with other organisations organised the funeral of the national heroes at the Lappeenranta Heroes' Cemetery, said the city in a press release.
The remains of the Finnish soldiers were recovered from Russia during the 2022-2022 period following searches by Russian authorities at the Karelian Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia areas.
So far, a total of 897 unidentified soldiers were buried at the cemeteries in Lappeenranta allocated for the war heroes.
An estimated number of 13 thousand Finnish soldiers were killed or went missing during the Winter War and Continuation War.
Remains of about 1,600 soldiers were recovered from the battlegrounds and 440 of them have been identified and reburied in the parishes' war cemeteries in their respective municipalities.
Meanwhile, President Alexander Stubb and First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb laid a wreath in memory of the fallen at the Heroes’ Cross in Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki on Sunday marking the Remembrance Day, said the President Office in a press release.
On the third Sunday of May, the Finns remember those who have fallen, been executed or died in wars, prison camps or peacekeeping missions that have affected Finland and Finns.
Remembrance Day is traditionally marked by honorary visits and wreath-laying ceremonies at the graves of heroes throughout the country.
At the ceremony in Hietaniemi, wreaths were also laid by the Government of Finland, the Finnish Defence Forces and the Border Guard, the Association of Relatives of the Fallen, veterans’ and national defence organisations and the City of Helsinki.
- Finnish
- Soldiers
- Reburied
- Lappeenranta
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
