Forced labor of Finnish concentration camp prisoners

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the organization organization by the Eastern Karelia Military Administration (EKMA) of forced labor of concentration camp prisoners in the occupied territory of Karelia in 1941–1944. Based on an analysis of available sources, such as protocols of interrogations of concentration camp prisoners, Soviet intelligence reports and reports of the Eastern Karelia Military Administration, various areas of the use of forced labor for the most intensive development of the resources of the occupied territory of the KFSSR were considered. The relevance of the topic is caused by the creation of an interdepartmental working group at the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Karelia to form an evidence base in order to recognize the policy of Finland in the occupied territory of Karelia in 1941–1944 genocide against the non-Finno-Ugric population. It implies the necessity to consider the attitude of the Eastern Karelia Military Administration towards prisoners of concentration camps. The forced labor is one of the most common subjects in the memories of prisoners. In memoirs and historiography, the terror policies of the Finnish authorities and slave labor are divided into two separate topics. In this article, the author argues that the policy of terror served as the sole motivating factor for increasing the efficiency of prisoners in the logging industry, both in relation to non-combatants and prisoners of war alike.