Losevo, Leningrad Oblast

The Volchya (Finnish: Saijanjoki (Saejoki, Sadejoki, Suenjoki, Sudenjoki); Russian: Волчья) is a tributary of the Vuoksi on the Karelian Isthmus (Leningrad Oblast, Russia) 0.25 to 12 kilometres (0.16 to 7.46 mi) west of the Saint Petersburg-Hiitola railroad (along the section between the stations Vaskelovo and Losevo) and flowing northwards from the Lembolovo Heights. It is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 460 square kilometres (180 sq mi). Its major tributaries are in turn the Smorodinka (right, Finnish: Tungelmanjoki; Russian: Смородинка), the Belaya (left, Finnish: Valkjoki; Russian: Белая), the Goryunets (left, Russian: Горюнец) and the Petrovka (right, Finnish: Petäjoki, Petojoki, Peto-oja; Russian: Петровка). The Volchya River's width is about 10 metres (33 ft) in the lower reaches, where it flows in a narrow valley, with meanders and oxbow lakes. The Volchya is shallow and unavailable for navigation (except for canoeing in some places) The river is crossed by the Sosnovo (Finnish: Rautu) – Pervomayskoye (Finnish: Kivennapa) road on Lembolovo Heights, Sosnovo – Borisovo (Finnish: Nurmijärvi) – Michurinskoye (Finnish: Valkjärvi) road at Razdolye (Finnish: Mäkrälä) and by the Losevo (Finnish: Kiviniemi) – Yagodnoye (Finnish: Vaalimo) road at the lower portion of the river. Since 1928 there is a little hydroelectric plant on the river not far from Petäjärvi (now Petrovskoye), which was the largest private hydroelectric facility in pre-Winter War Finland (owned by Leonard Sääksjärvi).[1] The entire river was a boundary between the Kingdom of Sweden and Novgorod Republic as defined in 1323 in the Treaty of Nöteborg. The higher reaches of the Saijanjoki (Volchya) to the south of the Tungelmanjoki (Smorodinka) and the Tungelmanjoki itself constituted part of the Russia-Finland border in 1811–1940. Now that stretch of the Volchya River divides Priozersky and Vyborgsky District from Vsevolozhsky District, while the Smorodinka marks another part of the boundary between Priozersky District and Vsevolozhsky District. The river was renamed from the Saijanjoki to the Volchya (lit. Wolf River) in 1948, just like the vast majority of other Finnish hydronyms and toponyms on the territories ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union as a result of the Continuation War.

Petrovskoye (Russian: Петровское; Finnish: Petäjärvi) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus. Before the Winter War and the Continuation War, Petäjärvi was a prosperous village of the Sakkola municipality in Viipuri Province of Finland. In 1948, after the war, Petäjärvi was renamed Petrovskoye, but the railway station of the Saint Petersburg-Hiitola railway serving it retained its name, as there had already been another station with the name Petrovskoye in Leningrad Oblast. In 1928, not far from Petäjärvi on the Saijanjoki River, a little hydroelectric plant was constructed, which became the largest private hydroelectric facility in pre-war Finland (owned by Leonard Sääksjärvi).

Michurinskoye (Russian: Мичу́ринское; Finnish: Valkjärvi) is a settlement on Karelian Isthmus, in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast.

Gromovo (Russian: Гро́мово; Finnish: Sakkola) is a settlement in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, and a station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railway. Gromovo is situated on the northern shore of the Lake Sukhodolskoye, Karelian Isthmus, in the historic region of Karelia. Until the Winter War and the Continuation War, it had been the administrative center of the Sakkola municipality of Finland. It hosts an interceptor aircraft base, (Gromovo (air base)). It is located 18 km northwest of Sosnovo, and 90 km north of Saint Petersburg.

The Finnish invasion of the Karelian Isthmus refers to a military campaign carried out by Finland in 1941. It was part of what is commonly referred to as the Continuation War. Early in the war, Finnish forces captured the Karelian Isthmus. It had been ceded to the Soviet Union on 13 March 1940, in the Moscow Peace Treaty, which marked the end of the Winter War. Later, in the summer of 1944, the Soviet Union recaptured the southern part of the isthmus in the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.

The Karelian Isthmus (Russian: Карельский перешеек, romanized: Karelsky peresheyek; Finnish: Karjalankannas; Swedish: Karelska näset) is the approximately 45–110-kilometre-wide (30–70 mi) stretch of land situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva. Its northwestern boundary is a line from the Bay of Vyborg to the westernmost point of Lake Ladoga, Pekonlahti. If the Karelian Isthmus is defined as the entire territory of present-day Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast to the north of the Neva and also a tiny part of the Republic of Karelia, the area of the isthmus is about 15,000 km2 (5,800 sq mi). The smaller part of the isthmus to the southeast of the old Russia-Finland border is considered historically as Northern Ingria, rather than part of the Karelian Isthmus itself. The rest of the isthmus was historically a part of Finnish Karelia. This was conquered by the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War in 1712 and included within the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland (1809–1917) of the Russian Empire. When Finland became independent in 1917, the isthmus (except for the territory roughly corresponding to present-day Vsevolozhsky District and some districts of Saint Petersburg) remained Finnish. Finnish Karelia was partly ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland following the Winter War (1939–1940) and Continuation War (1941–1944). In 1940–1941, during the Interim Peace, most of the ceded territories in the isthmus were included within the Karelo-Finnish SSR. However, since World War II the entire isthmus has been divided between the city of Saint Petersburg (mostly Kurortny District), as well as Priozersky District, Vsevolozhsky District and Vyborgsky District of Leningrad Oblast. According to the 2002 census, the population of the Kurortny District of Saint Petersburg and the parts of Leningrad Oblast situated on the Karelian Isthmus amounts to 539,000. Many Saint Petersburg residents also decamp to the Isthmus during their vacations. The main population centers of the Isthmus are Vyborg (Выборг; Finnish: Viipuri; Swedish: Viborg), Priozersk (Приозе́рск; Finnish: Käkisalmi; Swedish: Kexholm) and Primorsk (Примо́рск; Finnish: Koivisto; Swedish: Björkö).

Lake Sukhodolskoye (Russian: Суходольское озеро; Finnish: Suvanto-järvi) is a narrow 40 km long lake on the Karelian Isthmus located in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is a part of the Vuoksi River basin, constituting its southern armlet, and drained by Burnaya River. Originally waters of the lake flowed into the Vuoksi through a waterway at Kiviniemi. However, in 1818 the channel that had been dug to drain spring flood waters from the lake into Lake Ladoga unexpectedly turned into Taipaleenjoki (Burnaya River), which started draining the lake itself and decreased its level by 7 m. The Kiviniemi waterway dried out. In 1857 a channel was dug there, but the stream reversed direction, revealed rapids and rendered navigation at Kiviniemi impossible. Since 1857 Lake Sukhodolskoye and Burnaya River have constituted the southern armlet of Vuoksi River, which has decreased the level of the original northern armlet flowing through Priozersk by 4 m.

The Battle of Kelja, fought from December 25 to December 27, 1939 in and around the village of Kelja (now Portovoe, Priozersky District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia), was a part of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union.

Sosnovo (Russian: Сосново; Finnish: Rautu) is a rural locality (a logging depot settlement) in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Karelian Isthmus, and an important railway station of the Saint Petersburg-Kuznechnoye railroad. Population: 7,209 (2010 Census); 5,953 (2002 Census).

Sosnovskoye Rural Settlement (Russian: Сосновское сельское поселение) is an administrative and municipal division (a rural settlement) of Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality (a selo) of Sosnovo. Population: 10,830 (2010 Census);