East Karelia

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Image:East and West Karelias.png East Karelia, also Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Christian Orthodox under Russian supremacy. It is separated from the western part of Karelia, called Finnish Karelia or historically Swedish Karelia (before 1808). Most of the East Karelia is now part of the Republic of Karelia within the Russian Federation.

19th century ethnic nationalist Fennomans saw East Karelia as the ancient home of Finnic culture, "un-contaminated" by both Scandinavians and Slavs. In the sparsely populated East-Karelian backwoods, mainly in Viena's Karelia, Elias Lönnrot collected the folk tales that ultimately would become Finland's national epic, the Kalevala.

Idea of annexing East Karelia to Finland ("Greater Finland") was widely supporter in newly independent Finland. It was especially popular during the Continuation War when it seemed possible by the German assistance. Most of the East Karelia was occupied by Finnish forces 1941–1944. The war conditions were accompanied by hardship for the local ethnic Russian civilians, including forced labour and internment in prison camps as enemy aliens. After Continuation War, this kind of ideas of virtually disappeared.

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