Mining industry in the Karelo-Finnish SSR during the Great Patriotic War

The Republic of Karelia is famous for its rich mineral resources. Currently, Karelia is a wellknown supplier of block stone and crushed stone to the All-Russia market. During the Great Patriotic War, the republican mining industry in frontline conditions provided Soviet troops, industrial enterprises of national and regional significance with pegmatite, spar, quartz, mica and limestone. The activities of industry enterprises were transformed at different stages of the war, under the influence of the situation at the front, and in conformity with the needs of the country. At the initial stage of the war, during the offensive of the Finnish troops in several directions at once, the People’s Commissariat of the Construction Materials Industry of the KFSSR had to stop mining at quarries and mines, and to promptly evacuate workers and the material and technical base to the northern and eastern regions of the Republic, and to the rear regions of the country. During 1942–the first half of 1944, when 2/3 of the territory of the KFSSR was under Finnish occupation, the People’s Commissariat had to overcome the difficulties associated with the lack of labor, tools and undeveloped transport infrastructure, to ensure the supply of mica, ceramic raw materials and limestone. The main industrial undertaking during that period were Chupinsky mines. They failed to establish an uninterrupted process of extraction, processing and shipment of raw materials. The deposits were mined-out, the labor force was transferred from time to time to other plants of the industry, and the works were put on standby several times. At the final stage of the war, the main attention of the People’s Commissariat focused on the revival of plants which stayed on the occupied territories. Examination of the plants revealed the inexpediency of restoring the Segozersk talc–chloride and Oleneostrovsky lime mines. The resumption of the Kamneborsk and Shokshinsky mines required significant monetary, material and human resources. Mining and preparatory work, construction of technical facilities and repair of housing stretched for a long time and ended after the end of the Great Patriotic War.